Prelude to Destiny
by Arcaner
Summary: Gennai told of a group who came before all other digidestined. The first chosen to fight darkness and bring peace. The beginning of the legacy, the prelude to those that followed. The beginning of Destiny. The first Digidestined.
1. Prologue: The Genesis

**Prologue: The Genesis  
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_**Legend**_

_Italics shows character thoughts_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

N/A: Welcome to my fic! I hope you all enjoy this. This takes place shortly after the creation of the Digital World. When the Gaurdians who protected the Digital World fought for the right to reshape the World as they saw fit. It is also about the very first Digidestined who came to the world where the fight between Evil and Light was not the major concern, but the fight for Peace between four powers of Light.

And no, I don't own Digimon in anyway shape or form. I only own the characters I have put into the story and anything I have created myself.

Enjoy, and Please Review!

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_In the beginning..._

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The Digital World was a simple program, one massive landscape surrounded by a vast sea. The land held mountains, valleys, plains, snow caps, and every kind of living habitats needed for all of the newly born Digimon and those that would follow.  
_

_But, this world was not prefect and the Digimon of the World cried out for a change, a change that would be definite, where law, order, and peace could reign. It was called upon the Gods of the Digital World to sort out this issue and recreate the world so all Digimon would have a place to call home, where rules were set up to run the world, and a system where all Digimon would be treated fairly.  
_

_But, the Gods did not see eye to eye, they all sought to give more to their own kind. They sought to put their kind, their families, at the top of the world. Not out of greed, not out of hate, but out of love and caring. They each wanted different things because they loved this Digital World and they each thought that they knew what was best for the World._

_Baihumon God of Metal and Beasts demanded more fields, cities, and a more strictly run world where peace through strict order would rule. He wanted an iron code of conduct that all digimon must follow, with strict punishments for those that disobeyed. A solid world of rules and regulations._

_Azulongmon, God of Wind and Dragons wanted low mountains, valleys, and places where the powerful beasts of the sky could reside and watch over the world through a council who would talk and make decisions through vote, democracy, and freedom._

_Ebonwumon, Lord of Nature and Small beasts alike, wanted vast area's of forests to house his kind, so they could forage, hunt, and bask in the greatness of Nature's fruit. He wanted a land of kindness and peace, with no rules to guide them, with only the hope that all Digimon would be true to one another and that peace and order would come eventually._

_And finally, Zhuqiaomon, God of Fire and Winged creatures, wanted great stretches of ocean for which the bird kind to fly over, high mountains to perch from, and make the entire digital world high up from the sea. He thought the world should be lead by one ruler who held all power. An Emperor who would do what he thought was right and those that did not follow were to be punished on the whim of the ruler._

_The Gods argued and debated for sometime, neither wanting to give up supremacy or the right to have what they wanted. Even when a mediator was called in an agreement could not be found. And so, sadly, the Gods gave up their talks and decided on a path of war to decide the fate of the world. _

_The first act belonged to Baihumon who lead his fellow beasts and machines across the Digital world and began taking the Western lands and claiming them as his own. In response to this the other Gods quickly followed suit. Azulonngmon took the deep valleys to the East, Baihumon the plains and cities of the West, Ebonwumon took the vast forests of the North, and finally Zhuqiaomon took to the massive mountains of the South. They called all digimon who were of the same family as them and assembled them into armies and spread them across their lands to defend it and to combat their counterparts._

_One year has passed since the war began and no end appeared in sight. A digimon by the name of Jijimon, who had mediated the debate before the war, decided that help was needed to stop this senseless war. And so he turned his attention to the human world, where prophecy said Hero's could be found should the Digital World be threatened._

_It was in Humans that Jijimon put his faith…and it is in Humans that the Threads of Fate reside._


	2. Digimon World?

Chapter 1: "Digimon World?"

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

N/A: I did this ASAP since I thought the Prologue might not be enough for the readers to judge my story. Now we meet the kids! Or some of them anyway. Enjoy their introductions!

PS: Thanks to Broken Angel 01 for her help in making this story! I really am very thankful!

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_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

"Oh, there you are. Wake up, Taiki!" A shrill voice commanded.

_Huh? _

Taiki Yamada slowly opened his eyes, closed them again, and repeated twice before he realized that he had been sleeping again. He blinked as the shade shifted and a ray of sunlight caught him in the eye, forcing him to turn away from the gentle stab.

"TAIKI! WAKE UP!" The voice came at a trumpet like volume.

"Huh!" Taiki suddenly jerked up in response to the noise and lost his balance. He was then instantly reminded that he was up in a tree, straddled on a thick branch where he fell asleep. As his body obeyed the law of gravity his hazel eyes open in surprise as he began to plummet!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Taiki yelled at the top of his lungs with powerful force as he came crashing down to Earth.

"ACK! TAIKI!" The voice called out in alarm. More screaming was heard and then the loud thump of two people hitting the ground hard. From the small rising dust cloud one could make out the moaning of two very upset ten year old children.

"Oww…." Taiki murmured, laying flat on his stomach, the hood of his grayish-blue hoodie falling over his head.

"Get…off…Tai…ki…"

Taiki looked down to see he had flattened his best friend, Tommy Draggers , into a pancake. The boy quickly scrambled off of his friend and helped him to his feet. Afterwards both boys went about dusting themselves off in silence.

Taiki patted out his gray cargo pants, and unzipped his hoodie, splitting the image of a fox in half, to shake out the dust that had gotten under his faded blue tee-shirt that his brother handed down to him. He then checked his other items, his brown army boots that his dad gave to him and his grandfathers pocket watch. He also shook his messy hair to get all the dust out. People always said that Taiki looked like a badly groomed dog with a coat.

"Geez, how many times have we done this, Taiki?" Tommy asked as he checked himself as well.

Tommy dressed like he had just gotten back from a war. Dark camouflage jeans, a dark green sleeveless shirt under an U.S. Army Flak jacket. He then ran a hand through his very short hair to make sure he didn't have an dust or twigs hanging around with him. It fit him perfectly though. Everyone knew that Tommy wanted to go into the Military like his dad, who was stationed here from the U.S. In fact, Taiki knew that when Tommy grew up he would probably be an exact clone of his father! They were so much alike, right down to their black hair and crew cuts. The only exception being his blue eyes while his father had green.

"Sorry…I just fell asleep.." Taiki mumbled. He always waited for Tommy to get out of recreational soccer practice so they could hang out after school. Tommy was the all-star goalie that everyone wanted when recess was in play, the elementary schools didn't have official teams like the Jr. and High School levels.

"That's not the problem. It's the fact you fall asleep in a tree!" Tommy groaned as he pointed to the only oak on the school grounds, which allowed all recreational sports use to host games. It was big, old, and no one could remember when it _hadn't_ been around. Some people went as far as to say it was older then the school itself.

"Yeah…well…" Taiki mumbled again, trying to think of a good reason to excuse himself. Taiki hated to argue with people and could not stand to have people mad at him so he never stood up for himself and always tried to make people happy. He was a peace loving person and that was that.

"_-Sigh- _Forget it. I know you love trees and nature and all that. I just wish you wouldn't fall asleep and then land on me!" Tommy joked as he jabbed his friend in the side.

_Oww. _Taiki looked the other way to avoid showing Tommy that the jab had hurt his side. He hid the expression by zipping up his hoodie all the way up and throwing his hood back and shook his head again to make sure no dust had been stowed away somewhere. He stuffed his hands into the pockets and turned his gaze back to his friend.

"I heard a game store opened up today. Want to go check it out?" Tommy asked.

"It doesn't matter to me. If you want to go then lets go." Taiki smiled.

"…Taiki, I asked if YOU wanted to check it out!" Tommy stated while turning to face his friend head on.

"I know, and I said it doesn't bother me. Lets go." Taiki said again, unsure of what Tommy wanted to hear.

"Okay, then I don't want to go." Tommy said, trying to act annoyed.

"Oh, okay." Came Taiki's quick reaction.

Tommy stared at his best friend with a dumb look on his face. It was a known fact that they were the most obscure best friends ever conceived, the nature lover and the wannabe soldier. They had been introduced to one another through their fathers, Tommy's being in the U.S. military and Taiki's being in the Japanese military.

Despite how odd the pair looked no one could say they weren't best of friends. They did practically everything together, where ever Tommy was Taiki couldn't be to far behind, even if he was just tagging along. When Taiki was being made fun of or pushed around, Tommy was there to help him. When Tommy needed help with school or studying, Taiki was there for him. Two very different people, true, but the two just seemed to be two halves of an equation that came out evenly.

At this time though Taiki was staring at his friend who's left eye was twitching and who's right hand was tightening and un-tightening. Taiki wondered if his friend was having some stress related problem.

"You okay, Tommy?" Taiki asked as he punched his friend softly on the shoulder.

"Argh! TAIKI! Why do you always do that!" Tommy demanded, as if triggered by Taiki's obliviousness to the situation.

"Do what?" Taiki asked, completely unaware of his own actions.

"Always agree with everyone? Why don't you say what you want? Do you want to go to the store or not!" Tommy asked, this time with real seriousness.

_Uh oh…Tommy's getting that look in his eye again. I had better say something to make him happy. Let's see…he likes those war games so I'll just say we should go check them out! Then he'll be happy cause he can get a game and I'll be saying that I want to go too! _

"Uh…well. I heard that it might have some pretty cool games. We can even look at some of those war games you like!" Taiki said, trying to sound as interested as possible. Truth by told he didn't care much for games and preferred to just sit outside all day in the woods and do…well…. whatever came to his mind.

"Finally! You need to speak out some more, you know?" Tommy asked as he put and arm around his friend and they began down the sidewalk after leaving the school grounds. Taiki found it funny that even though Tommy was the big bad military guy he was an inch shorter then Taiki. Taiki believed it was the vegetables he loved so much.

"Hehehe, sorry." Taiki apologized.

"Don't apologize for voicing your….ugh…never mind, Taiki, just never mind…."

Taiki looked oddly at his friend as he hung his head, removing his hand from around his shoulder and putting them in his pockets. He took a deep breath and then put his smile back on. Taiki smiled at his friend for that, no matter what you did to Tommy he always bounced back stronger then ever. It was one of the reasons he admired him so much.

"OKAY! Race you down the sidewalk, Taiki! Ready, set, go!" Tommy declared as he bolted down the street.

"NO FAIR!" Taiki whined as he ran after his friend, attempting to close the gap between them. He didn't care much about winning but it still wasn't fair for Tommy to just run off like that!

Down the street, around the corner, across two streets, and a final turn brought them to the street they needed to be at. The whole street used to be a bunch of dead stores that the government bought and sold to people wanting to start a new business, to try and bring some life back to the place.

Tommy and Taiki walked, after exhausting their strength at the second street crossing, and were now slowly making their way down the street, slowly this time. The street itself wasn't too packed, many of the adults still being at work meant that only kids could check the stores out at this time of day. The two paid attention in case they saw something else that might be cool to check out, they had saved up a months worth of allowance to splurge here after all.

Taiki had stopped to pet a ladies dog as she passed by, not noticing that Tommy had gone on ahead. When he did notice he quickly bolted down the sidewalk, through the sparse crowd of kids and the few adults who weren't working.

"WHATCH OUT!" A voice yelled at him, prompting him to slam on his breaks. Too late. For the second time today Taiki had collided with someone. The two people hit and then repelled off of each other and fell unto their butts.

"I'm sorry! I was trying to catch up too…" Taiki slowly stopped his talking as he noticed who it was that he ran into.

Of all the people in school, there was no one he feared more then Ayumi Fujiwara, the infamous tomboy of the 5th grade. There was never a meaner, rougher, and louder girl then her. Taiki had only been at this school for a year but he had a lot of history with her already. Ayumi was a girl who wanted to be a boy so bad that she absolutely hated girls for being girls and hated boys for being lucky enough to be boys.

She even dressed like a boy. Loose baggy blue pants were held around her slim waist by a belt, refusing to wear skirts or dresses, though Taiki did notice that her pants had a wing design at the ankle of all her pants. She wore a shirt that is was pretty loose as well, with a big logo saying, "Girly girls make me sick!". She then wore double red wrist bands on each arm.

Not only that but she hated Taiki more then any other boy. She said that he was a bad boy, in the sense that he didn't know how to be a boy. She picked on him everywhere, in soccer she would kick the ball right at him as hard as she could and if Taiki couldn't stop it she yelled at him until her head was ready to explode! When Taiki refused to stand up for himself she called him a coward, idiot, spineless, and so on. Anything she could pin on him for being soft she would do it, with a burning passion.

"Grrr…Yamada…you clumsy…fool!" She barked at him. Taiki had never seen someone stand up so fast in his life. She was on his feet and yelling at him already.

He looked up at her and winced as her voice continued to grow in volume and rapid words that streamed together into a foreign language that Taiki couldn't understand. He looked at her and just nodded guiltily and waited until she had finished, while mumbling how he was sorry and that he didn't mean to hit her. Taiki kept his head down feeling that her eyes, the same shade as his, felt like they were drilling into his skull.

"Leave him, alone, Fujiwara!" Tommy cried out, as he returned to save Taiki.

"This doesn't concern you, Draggers!" Ayumi called out, flipping her red hair, held in a ponytail, over his shoulder. That was the biggest mystery about her, why she wanted long hair but dress like a boy. Taiki thought it must be her family or something that makes her have it long. Her face was also very girl like, in Taiki's words, though she was always frowning and scowling so she ruined what was probably a pretty face.

"He's my comrade! I won't abandon him, so back off!" Tommy snapped as he got between Taiki and Ayumi.

"This isn't a war, you dolt! And you aren't a soldier!" Ayumi spat back as she glared at Taiki menacingly.

"I said I'm sorry…" Taiki muttered under his breath.

"What was that!" Ayumi asked loudly.

"Don't apologize to her, Taiki. It was an accident! And for your information, Fujiwara, any friend of mine is a comrade!" Tommy proclaimed as he stood his ground against the relentless assault of Ayumi.

The three stood in silence then. Tommy staring down Ayumi who was staring down Taiki who looked down at the ground with his hands shoved as far down into his coat pockets as possible and with his head sunk down between his shoulders to hide himself as best he could.

_Why does she hate me so much…I didn't do anything to her. _It really bothered Taiki when people disliked him and he couldn't figure out why. He felt that he was being a bad person if people hated him.

Tommy looked over his shoulder and shot his glare back to Ayumi, he knew too that it ate away at Taiki to be hated by someone. Tommy reached around and grabbed Taiki's arm and dragged him into the store they had been heading for, blowing past Ayumi who stuck her nose in the air.

"Sheesh, Taiki. You've got to stand up for yourself!" Tommy lectured as they entered the new game store.

"I'm sorry…" Taiki mumbled as he was released from Tommy's grasp.

"Stop saying you're sorry. You don't need to apologize for everything." Tommy sighed and went to look at a game just to their right.

"I'm sorr--"

Tommy glared at Taiki suddenly which caused the boy to jump slightly and refrain for his normal reaction. Taiki then decided to go throughout the store and look around. Nothing really interested him though and he just went about looking at a few things that caught his eye.

He filed through the war games to see if anything interesting was in for Tommy, he loved those games that put you in a past war. So he set out to find something for his friend, even though a fire was starting to brew behind him.

"Draggers! What are you doing here!" A voice demanded loudly, it seemed a lot of people were being loud today.

"Me? What are you doing here Sakamoto!" Tommy responded.

For some reason it took a moment to register the names being called out. Draggers, an American name, was Tommy and Sakamoto…

_NO! Not him!_

Taiki spun around and was instantly proven this was not his day. Standing in front of him was Riku Sakamoto, who was in second place for people who hated Taiki the most. Riku Sakamoto was the biggest bully to ever come to Taiki's school. He came in during the middle of the year after being thrown out of his last school for fighting, pranks, verbally abusing other kids, and just being a trouble maker.

Everything about him made Taiki shiver. Tight black pants, with a chain on his right hip and holes tore in the pants as well. A long sleeved white tee-shirt under a sleeveless leather jacket, painted jet black with. His hair was a deep chestnut and slicked back, but it didn't look like gel held it in place, it seemed natural. He had a white bandana around his head with the word, "BAD" on it, with his bangs pulled down over it. People said that he thought he had a big forehead which was stupid since all the teachers thought his face was the most perfectly shaped and arranged face on earth. If not for the clothes some people might think he was a saint.

But, like Taiki and Ayumi fought all the time, so did Tommy and Riku. It was a classic good versus evil thing. Riku the Bully and Tommy the Protector. They fought, competed, and struggled against each other on everything. Once Taiki watched them play Tekken for two hours, playing over thirty matches to decide who was the winner. Even after Tommy won they weren't happy.

And to make things worse, Riku loved picking on Taiki. In fact he was his favorite person to push around. Whenever he got a chance, Riku made sure he took it. Gumballs, fake notes, shoving and one fight, well he was fighting while Taiki was backed against a wall. Thankfully, Tommy found out and intervened. Taiki wanted nothing to do with Riku.

Taiki decided to slowly get behind Tommy, to hide himself, and that's when he noticed it. A game that sat by itself. He had never seen it before.

"Mister, can I look at that game?" Taiki asked, pointing to the game.

"You…want this game?" He asked and pointed, as if unsure of what Taiki meant. When Taiki nodded the man suddenly lit up and quickly handed it over.

"Digimon World?" Taiki read aloud.

Oh, yes, it's a very, very interesting game. You play in a world of monsters known as Digimon, you fight with your partner Digimon and try to save the Digital World. it's a very neat game with choices to make, battles to fight, and a world that changes based on your actions."

"Hey, Monsters! I bet my monster could beat yours Draggers!" Riku spat out, grabbing the game from Taiki.

"What! I can beat you at anything! Mister, how much is it!" Tommy asked quickly.

"Oh, no charge. This game is free, trying to advertise it for the next one coming out, take it. You just need a computer." The clerk said and Taiki's, Tommy's, and Riku's face fell. None of them had computers at home and you can't put games on the school computers.

"I got one." Ayumi called out casually. Apparently she had been standing behind the three for sometime now.

"Really! You'd let us use it?" Tommy asked.

"Sure, as long as I get to play with you guys." Ayumi was also famous for wanting to go do anything that involved boy stuff. Playing video games was one of those things.

"Alright. Lets go right now, I want to beat Sakamoto's monsters face in!"

"Hah! I'd like to see you try!" Riku spoke out boastfully.

"Alright, let's go." Ayumi said as she waved them to follow.

Taiki looked at the man behind the counter and he just smiled brightly. He then raced off after his…company to play a game….one very special game.

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**A/N:** Well, there they are! I'll admit, I have a thing for making unusual characters so I don't blame you if some of the characters don't appeal you all. But! What did you all think of them anyway? Sure, some of them don't get along, but that is part of life, isn't it? Kind of gives it a spice or realism to it when you think about your elementary days.

Next chapter is the Digimon! Stayed tuned for that!

-Arc, short for Arcaner.


	3. The First Team!

Chapter 2: The First Team

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

PS: Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them! Send more! And Thanks to Wen for proofing this!

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_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

"I'm gonna win!"

"Yeah right, Draggers!"

Tommy was speeding down the sidewalk, racing Riku Sakamoto, to Ayumi's house. Why? Because they could and because they wanted to. It really served no other purpose but that, to simply race the other and see who could win. It never occurred to them that they would need Ayumi to get into the house to play the new game.

_I won't let you beat me, Sakamoto! I have to beat you!_ Tommy told himself as he pumped his legs harder, urging them to carry him faster as the two competitors tore through the neighborhood, leaving behind Taiki and Ayumi who were following at a much slower pace.

The finish line was in sight! The house down the sidewalk and directly across the street was Ayumi's house, or apartment really. The two sprinted on their last wind, to make the homestretch the place where they took the lead.

"I'm going to beat you!" Riku called out as he began to heavily pump his legs up and down.

"Over my dead body!" Tommy returned.

They looked up at the street sign, that said it was okay to walk. They raced to beat it, to get across the street before it turned to a stop sign.

_Come on! Just a little more! _Tommy urged the light.

_**-Bing-**_ The light changed and the two were ordered to stop at the sidewalk as the traffic assumed its normal trek, it also happened to be rush hour. Tommy skid to a stop and nearly face vaulted into the ground from trying to stop so suddenly. Riku grabbed the light pole and swung around it to stop himself.

The two boys looked at each other for a moment, exchanged glares, and then looked away as they waited for the light to change back again. After a few moments Taiki and Ayumi joined them.

"You idiots! You have to press the button you know?" Ayumi grumbled irately as she pressed the button and the street sign changed moments later, stopping the cars and allowing the children to pass.

Tommy and Riku looked at one another but both decided to walk with dignity to the house and postpone their race until next time. The four walked up to Ayumi's apartment, which was a large house shared by two families, though the families were separated by a wall. The left side of the house belonged to Ayumi's family.

"My father and brothers aren't home yet, so don't make a mess or you'll regret it when they get home!" Ayumi warned with a glare before she unlocked the house and walked in, the trio of boys following her shortly after.

Tommy didn't have time to look around, like he had wanted, because Ayumi quickly hurried them all into the computer room, where a computer sat on a desk with a bunch of books all around it. Ayumi's father was a computer designer for hire, he did logos, advertisements, and commercial things that would be over the internet and required a spiffy graphic or animation to draw attention to it. This was his work space.

"Let's see…" Ayumi said as she removed the Digimon World game from its case and inserted it into the CD drive. The boys stood over her shoulder to get a better look. The screen was black and silent until a voice came to them.

"**Welcome to the Digital World, the World of Digimon! I have a few questions to ask you first, great destined heroes. "**

"Hey, cool! I guess it determines your monster or something!" Ayumi said, slightly more interesting then she had been at first.

"**First, how many players are there?"**

Ayumi hit the number four key and waited a moment, nothing happened.

"Hey, there isn't a textbox for numbers. How do we tell it we have four people?" Tommy asked.

"**Four? Good, good. Next, what do you call yourselves? A group name so we can refer to all of you at once."**

"What? How did it..?" Riku said, as he walked over to the computer and seemed to hear them speaking.

"Oh, come on! It must have been slow taking my answer in when I hit the four key. That's all!" Ayumi said, with a laugh as Riku slowly back away from the computer, still unconvinced.

The four kids now looked at one another to come up with a name to call themselves. They instantly went into brainstorming. Each trying to come up with a super cool name for their team. The minutes ticked by and still nothing came until…

"Well…" Taiki started, speaking for the first time since they got the game, "How about Digidestined? I mean, Digital World, has Digi, and the monsters are Digimon, that has Digi too. And we are supposed to be like heroes…so.."

"Hey, that's a great idea, Taiki!" Tommy boomed to his friend before punching him in the arm, causing Taiki to wince slightly.

"I think it sounds corny.." Riku said.

"Me too…" Ayumi concurred.

"**Digidestined? A fine name!"**

Tommy watched as all four of them froze on the spot. _Did that game just…hear us? Speak to us? _Tommy quickly went back over to the computer and watched as a small caveman like person walked up to the kids from the black screen. He wore a tan cloth over his entire body, which stood maybe three and a half feet off the ground. He had white hair that covered his entire head and face, he had a long and bushy beard., his feet were hairy and barefooted as well. In his hand he held a staff with a claw on the end of the cane.

"**I am Jijimon, welcome to our world."**

"What!" Tommy yelled as the computer screen began to glow and a blinding light began to consume the room around them. The four yelled at the top of their lungs, fear welling up inside them as the light consumed them whole.

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_**POV: Jijimon**_

_**Digimon World, Unknown Location.**_

Jijimon was…unsure of the four humans before him. They had been transported just like he planned and now lay before him, unconscious, yes, but here just the same. Jijimon walked among them and gave them a solid looking over, surprised at their small size and youth. He had expecting bigger fiercer humans to come to his aid. But then again, the prophecy did mention the Heroes to be very unlikely.

He walked around them again before deciding to wake them up. He prodded them, each with three soft pokes in the gut. They all groaned sickly and turned away from him.

"Ugh…" The boy muttered to Jijimon in response to his prodding. The boy looked up at Jijimon and stared at him stupidly for a moment, then blinked, looked once more, blinked and rubbed his eyes, and then….

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The boy yelled at the top of his little lungs, bringing the others to a startling wake. The boy clamored away from Jijimon who stood laughing softly.

"What? Never seen a Digimon before?" Jijimon said with as little bite as possible.

"Where…where are we!" The matty haired boy stammered as he got to his feet and threw his head in every direction to find his bearings.

"Why, this is the Digital World. You were summoned here to help our World from Everlasting War and Chaos." Jijimon proclaimed as he pointed his staff at the four children, "Come, sit, I know this is a shock to you. Let me explain the game to you…"

The new Digidestined looked at one another for strength before sitting on the floor, all but Riku, who stood defiantly and walked up to Jijimon with caution guiding his feet.

"So, this is part of the game? We are…still in the game?" Riku asked as he began walking around Jijimon.

_No, child, I wish this were a game. _Jijimon thought with a frown that was hidden beneath his heavy hair. He nodded and stomped the ground with his staff, "Indeed! This game is a very unique game, it totally takes you into our world." Jijimon lied.

Riku looked around him and then suddenly proclaimed that this was the coolest game ever invented. Perhaps if Riku had been a bit older he would have realized the insanity of Jijimon's words, but at ten years of age one can often forget real reason.

Jijimon on the other hand, knew he was lying and hated every moment of it. But how else do you get young children to cooperate in a world where their lives are on the line? The only way was to make them feel safe and to do that he had to make them believe this world, full of danger, was just another game.

"Sit still then children, I'll explain to you the history of our world!" Jijimon started as he began to tell the history of the Digital World and the War of the Digimon Gods.

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_**POV: Leomon**_

_**Digimon World, Western Hemisphere, The Great Plains**_

"Hold the line! They must not take the Plains from us!" Leomon, leader of Baihumon's Second Beast Battalion commanded of his men. They were a mixed group of Beast Digimon, ranging from Rookies to Champions. His main force comprised of four legged Champion levels, namely Garurumon and Grizzlymon.

The forces of Baihumon were currently struggling against a surprise attack from the Aerial forces of Zhuqiaomon, led by Akatorimon who was in charge of the Third Aerial Division. His men were a crack squad of completely Kokatorimon who charge was to swoop in and turn the enemy to stone before retreating and attacking again.

"Your main priority is to avoid fire! Attack only when clear!" Leomon barked as he launched his _Fist of the Beast King _attack at an advancing Kokatorimon, nailing him squarely in the head, deleting him before he could fire his own attack.

The battle raged across the Great Plains, a vast and completely flat area with a thinned forest where the Beast Digimon frequently used as hunting grounds and foraging area, it was the Pride lands of the Beasts to be exact. No one had expected an attack from the South so far into the West and the results was a disarranged defense and a advantageous attacker.

The Plains were in massive disarray thanks to this battle. Black patches of land, stone grass and trees, Digimon fighting for their lives all over the plains. It was a battle to behold with the Beasts of the West in trouble.

The Beast Digimon made use of their legs and sped across the plain, dodging the attack of the Bird Digimon. But, it was the Akatorimon who had the advantage of surprise and of flight. Zhuqiaomon's force had the upper hand and continued to push the Beasts back towards the forest, where they would lose the Plains to the control of the Bird God.

_Darn you, Zhuqiaomon! This is not over yet!_ Leomon protested as he avoided an attack launched from above. He had only to await reinforcements and then victory could be gained! For once the Metal Beasts of the West were here then the battle could be taken back to them! He had already sent the call for help when the battle resumed. He had only to wait for a response from his ally and greatest General under lord Baihumon, Lord Rapidmon who commanded the first Metal and Beast Battalions of the Western Army.

It was only a matter of time.

Leomon turned his gaze to the sky and saw the leader of his enemy, Akatorimon, descend to attack himself. Leomon let out a massive roar before charging the flying maniac Digimon. The Bird General unleashed a barrage of kicks at the Beast Commander which was parried blow for blow by Leomon's blade.

"Look around you, Leomon! Your comrades turn to stone under our gaze! You will lose this battle!" Akatorimon boasted as it flew into the air and began circling Leomon, waiting for a moment to attack.

"Never! As long as our data holds together we will never let you take these Plains! You will have to delete every last one of us first, Akatorimon!" Leomon proclaimed as he reared his right fist back, "Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon thrust his first forward as a roaring lion shot from his hand and at Akatorimon.

The battle continued to intensify.

--------------

_**POV: Jijimon**_

_**Digimon World, Unknown Location**_

"Wow, that's so cool! We are in a war!" Tommy shouted at the top of his lungs, after being told the story of the world and the trifles of the Four Gods.

Jijimon laughed softly as the other three kids looked more in awe at the awesome 'game' before them. They all seemed to be highly interested in this game and eager to begin. It was at this time that Jijimon decided that now was the time to bring forth their partners.

"Yes, now that you know about our situation, it is time for me to meet your Digimon Partners" Jijimon said.

"Huh? What do you mean, its time for YOU to meet them? We want to meet them too!" The one called Taiki exclaimed.

"Yeah, we haven't met our partners yet." Ayumi concurred.

"Yes, you have met them, in a manner of speaking. You see, you will create your Digimon from your thoughts?"

"Our thoughts?" Riku asked.

"Yes, now stand around me." Jijimon asked and the children complied. "Now, focus on something you love, an ideal, a habit, an idea, etc. Focus on what you want your digimon to embody and it will come to you. You will create it yourself. Focus hard on what you want." The four looked at each other oddly, but thinking it was a game, did as they were told. They all closed their eyes and thought to themselves.

Jijimon stood and smiled as they focused. Seconds later a thin ring of light began to show below each of the children, the more they focused on their partner the more the partner came to be. Soon the rings of light were fully awakened. Jijimon then called them all to open their eyes.

"Now, listen children…" Jijimon said, before they could speak. The stood silently until a small voice came from around from the children. In a mass of words their thoughts began to sound throughout the area, though meshed together it was hard to understand. These words began to focus and began to appear as Data circling each respective child, the data then began to form four separate balls of light. Taiki's was the first to burst open.

"Eh? What's this?" An unbelievably fast voice spat out.

All eyes turned to Taiki who had a small white ferret on his head. The Digimon had white fur gold collar and a strange gold pattern on his body. His eyes were gold and he had a red earring in his left ear. He also had a bell on the end of his tail. The small Digimon looked up, sniffed, looked down, sniffed, looked left and right and sniffed once more. All in rapid succession.

"Whoa!" Taiki said as the Digimon scrambled down over Taiki's face and around his neck, the Digimon was barely long enough to wrap himself all the way around! He then stuck his head down the back of Taiki's hoodie and proceeded to crawl down his back.

"HEY!" Taiki yelled as he jumped up.

"Was this? Hmm? Smells in here…Eh.." The monster appeared again, this time poking his head out from the bottom of Taiki's hoodie in the front. Before Taiki could grab him he was crawling down his leg and looking around once more. Then without any reason at all he clamored on up to Taiki's head once more and hung down in front of Taiki's face, putting his small hand up, or down to Taiki's view.

"Hi! I'm Kudamon. Nice to meet you!" He said rapidly, like a person on a lot of sugar. "Special attacks are, Light Dash and Holy Ring." He said rapidly before going back unto Taiki's head and looked out at things and sniffing the air constantly.

"…HAHAHAHHA! That's your Digimon? What a joke!" Riku bellowed as he finally got control of himself. Ayumi too couldn't help but laugh softly, though she wasn't as crazed as Riku was. "That is so the right partner for you! Its wimpy and puny! Just like you, Yamada!" Riku laughed hysterically as he grabbed his ribs with laughter.

_**-WHAM!-**_

Riku hit the ground with a big thud and everyone looked in surprise at who it was that inflicted the blow. It was another Digimon. It was a small dinosaur with metal feet and hands and some on his tail. He had strange pixilated skin and what appeared to be a combat vest and helmet. It also, strangely enough, carried a small rifle of sorts.

"Don't pick on Kudamon! You slacker!" The Digimon barked before marching over to Tommy, rifle over his shoulder, "Commandramon, reporting for Duty sir!" The Digimon clicked his heels and saluted as best he could. "My special attacks are, M16 Assassin and DCD Bomb."

"Whoa! You are so awesome!" Tommy exclaimed. He saluted in return and the two looked back at Riku before laughing themselves. "You so got him, Commandramon!"

"Of course, I'd never let someone get pushed around by a bully lik-- OUCH!" Commandramon was suddenly jumped into the air and began to run around, flashing a small black object biting his tail.

The black object released Commandramon and then floated over to Riku, laughing just as Riku was before. The Digimon had one red eye and one green eye and it looked like a mask which covered his entire head except for his huge grin. He had blue skin barely visible under the black leather wrapped around most of both arms and a strange bat like belt around his waist. The Digimon had spiked shoes and sharp claws with an eye in the palm of his hands and a small demon like tail.

"HAHAHA! I got him good didn't I Riku? I'm Dracmon! My special attacks are Eye of Nightmares and Undead Fang!" Dracmon said to Riku who looked at his Digimon.

"Hah, awesome! You are definitely the best of the group! I got the best Digimon around!" Riku exclaimed with excitement.

"Yeah, right. You haven't seen mine yet! You idiot!" Ayumi said with venom.

"Of course! I'm definitely the best Digimon!" The Fourth appearing member of the Digimon group said.

It was a bird digimon with black feathers and a purple vest with a ninja shuriken on the front of it. His eyes were golden with red around each eye. His claws were purple and his talons were yellow. It was the most common looking of the Digimon.

"I'm Falcomon, my special attacks are Shurririken and Uchitake Drop!" Falcomon beamed as it landed on Ayumi's shoulder. She admired her Digimon for a moment before realizing the look of her boy counterparts.

"What!" She demanded of them.

"Your Digimon…." Taiki began as Kudamon ran down the back of his head and wrapped itself around his neck.

"Is a…" Tommy continued.

"BOY!" Riku blurted out, not having the same tact as the other two.

"So what if I'm a boy! I could whip any one of your other Digimon!" Falcomon spat, mimicking his partners temper. Ayumi too seemed ticked.

"Yeah, so what! I wanted a boy partner, got a problem with that!"" Ayumi barked at the boys, stepping towards them with her partner on her shoulder.

All of the boys quickly took their opinion back and looked away to talk to their own partners, whom they would be with for some time. All four of them seemed be highly pleased with their choices and the final outcomes.

As Jijimon nodded approvingly he wondered what his next action should be. These children had to see the world and learn what was wrong with it before they could act. They must see the Digital World and the dire state it was in. It was time for them to go.

"Children, your attention please." Jijimon said, waving for all of them to gather round. "This is a map of the Digital World, use this and travel to the four sections of the world by these four routes marked here. Do not use any other routes, because the Four Gods may want to capture you. So avoid them at all costs and if you are caught, then fight with everything you have." Jijimon said, before rolling the map up and handing it to Tommy, who he believed as the most reliable of the four.

"Okay, got it. This should be fun!" Tommy said as he looked the map over.

"Hey, Jijimon! What about your partners, do they level up or something?" Riku asked.

"Oh, yes. The first level is the Baby level which is right after a Digimon hatches from an eye, which most Digimon do. The next is In-training which is like a toddler stage. After that is the Rookie stage which is the norm for many Digimon and is your Digimon's current level. Then there is the Champion stages, a full adult stage. Finally there is the Ultimate Stage, where your Digimon will reach their perfect forms. The Ultimate Stage will take much more time then the Champion so don't expect it too soon. When your bond with them has grown in strength and they have battled along side you, they will Digivolve as we call it and reach the next stage of power."

Jijimon took a deep breath and looked each of the kids over, "But, remember that teamwork is your greatest strength. For alone you are strong but together you are a powerful force. Four Digimon can over power those stronger then them if they work together. Remember that."

All of them nodded, feeling a bit drawn in by the speech. They looked at one another and dispute their differences they somehow had a feeling of unity among them. Fragile, yes, but a bond none the less.

"One more piece of advise. Never confront the Gods, they are above the Ultimate Level on a plain that you must be born into and can't reach by Digivolution. Remember this above all else. Never confront them." Jijimon warned.

After that, Jijimon led them off, gave them supplies and food to last for a week, in game time as he said, and sent them off to the West, to Lord Baihumon reigns. He told them to make allies and don't draw attention to themselves if they could.

When all was said Jijimon waved to them, sad to see them leave so soon. The four children waved over their heads as they walked backwards away from Jijimon, all except Riku and Dracmon who didn't feel the need to wave to the old man.

_Be safe children, you are the last flames of hope in this world. Somehow you must stop this war! Somehow you must bring peace back to our world!_

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**A/N: **Okay, first thing first! Remember this is prior to Tai's group so the Digimon Level of Mega was thought to not exist, which is why I call Baihumon and the others Gods since that must be what they seem to be to the other Digimon. So we have Rookie - Champion - Ultimate and Godly. XD Awesome, eh?

And, so what do you think of their Digimon? They are all pre-made so I didn't have to tussle with conflicting issues and such. Think they fit? What did you think of their introduction? Any favorites so far? Hmm! Tell me I want to know! XD

Also, for those action fans, get excited! The Next chapter shall have it for you, as in the Digidestined fighting anyway.

But, as always, read and enjoy. Then REVIEW!

-Arc.


	4. The Power of Rivals!

Chapter 3: The Power of Rivals!

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

PS: Thanks to Wen-san for her help and Broken Angel for all of her help as well!

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**Digimon World, Western Hemisphere (Near the Great Plains)**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

Riku trudged on ahead of the group, with Dracmon at his side. The group entered the realm of the Western God, Baihumon, to explore the land and get a feel for how the 'game' worked and what and how they wanted to go about saving it. The idea was pretty large so each child thought that oppurtunites would present itself and so, in the meantime, they would explore and have fun!

Riku and Dracmon were so excited they couldn't contain themselves, as if they were going to explode if they didn't get to see some fighting, some city, or something! They wanted to see what this world was like, Dracmon was created just recently so even for him it was an exciting journey!

"Come on you slow pokes! Hurry up!" Riku yelled back to his companions.

"Yeah, yeah! Or I'll come back there and herd you along like cattle!" Dracmon taunted while jabbing his tail at the three humans and Digimon.

"Shut up, Sakamoto! We'll get there when we get there!" Tommy snapped back vigorously with Commandramon at his side keeping alert and quiet incase of attack.

"Forget them, Dracmon! Lets go and see what's over that ridge!" Riku yelled to his partner who floated after him.

Riku had to admit that him and Dracmon were like peanut butter and jelly, which happened to be both of their favorite foods, despite the fact that the Digimon world didn't have PB & J. They both loved alternative music, both loved pranks, both thought that Taiki was wimp, that Draggers was a stiff, and that Ayumi was just plain weird. In fact they were like the perfect pair, like two bad seeds growing together.

They raced up the ridge at full speed, Dracmon taking the lead with his ability to float. They ran like they were honestly racing to win, like it was important to them to see who was faster, to see who was dominant in that category. The victor could brag, and bragging rights was something they both loved.

"I beat you!" Dracmon yelled as he reached the top of the ridge while floating backwards. He laughed happily and floated up and down with glee.

"Next time I'll get you…for….sure…." Riku said with increasing difficulties as he reached the ridge as well. He stood stiffly at the top of the ridge and saw below him a vast plain, larger then a three football fields, or soccer fields in his mind.

Dracmon turned around and too became silent. He floated over to his partner and stood on his shoulder. Dracmon was about two and a half feet tall so he looked like a puppet on Riku's shoulders. They both stood in shocked silence at the sight before them.

_What…happened to this place..?_

"Hey, Sakamoto, what's wrong? Tired?" Ayumi jabbed at Riku verbally.

The three other children and their partners joined Riku and stood in the same stunned silence Riku and Dracmon were in, shook beyond words at the scene ahead.

On the plain known to the Digimon of the world as the Great Plains, stood a sad image that starkly contrasted its former glory. The first half of the plain was complete stone. Stone grass and tress were standing still and lifeless, shattered flowers lay over the ground where they had once swayed in the wind peacefully. Even the ground, that was once life giving top soil, was cold rock.

And even darker still were the Digimon made of stone. Digimon with four legs, two legs, some with metal bodies, all stood like statues. Yet, even as one looked at them you couldn't help but feel a sense of anguish and deep sorrow permeating from the stone erections, as if they had life held captive. The worst sights were of broken Digimon statues, as if they had jumped into the air and were turned to stone, only to fall to the ground and shatter instantly and die a pitiful death...or worse yet, an eternity of imprisonment.

"What happened?" Riku asked weakly, after looking the scene over.

"A battle." A deep voice resounded.

The four turned around and saw the image of a massive Digimon. He was large wolf with large teeth, blue and white fur, and powerful yellow eyes. He glared down at the humans instinctively with intent to attack.

"A battle?" Taiki asked sheepishly.

"Yes, between the forces of my Lord Baihumon and Zhuqiaomon of the South. We found against them to defend our home and now one of our sacred lands is scarred ….along with our companions who were defeated and turned as lifeless as the plains you see before you."

"You mean…they were real digimon before this?" Tommy asked.

"The fools shouldn't have gotten hit..." Riku murmurred softly, but his words were picked up by the giant Digimon nonetheless.

"Those fools were my…COMRADES!" The beast howled at the end in pain and agony. "They did not deserve a life of imprisonment! The least the enemy could have done is sent them to the Digital Graveyard! Those spineless, honor lacking fiends!" He bellowed.

"That's…horrible." Taiki said as he turned to looked at the sight once more. He knelt down and tried to suppress the feeling of pain that welled up in his heart, the pain that he felt when he looked on their miserable state of existence.

"No one deserves that! No matter what you've done...it just isn't fair.." Taiki spoke painfully, feeling a deep remorse that normally comes before tears.

"No crying!" Kudamon said as he hung himself down from Taiki's head and slapped his partners forehead with his little paw, "Be strong! For them, they big warrior, they want no crying!" Kudamon said rapidly as he rubbed his head against Taiki's cheek.

"Heh, yeah. I'll be strong for them." Taiki responded to his partner. Taiki looked up at Tommy who pulled him up to his feet and gave him a soft punch in the shoulder.

_Sheesh…stop with the friendship act already. The only person you can rely on is yourself…I don't have time for friendship. _Riku muttered as the sight of the two friends being all nice to each other and helping one another. The only person he needed was himself…and his little sister. He turned away from the group and silently wondered how well her day at school had gone. Riku, despite his outside, was a very understanding big brother. He loved his second grade sister more then anything in the world, and because he was the biggest bully around, no one dared to mess with her...he made sure of it.

It was his little known secret. His one little weak spot that everyone knew about but never used against him. There was some honor in being a good big brother and for everything he did he never heard anyone call him a bad brother and for that he was proud.

_Well…I guess family is okay...they look out for you._

Riku then walked up to the giant beast, "Hey, what is your name? What are you doing here too?" Riku asked as if he was entitled to know.

"I am Garurumon, Champion Vaccine type Digimon. I am scouting the area looking for the enemy for my Commander, Leomon." Garurumon snapped back at Riku, "And you, you strange things, are to come with me. I must take you to my Commander to have you questioned. Comply and I won't harm any of you."

"Why should we--" Ayumi began to demand before Tommy cut her off with a hand that sliced the air.

"No, we'll go with him." Tommy said in a very serious tone, causing all of the kids to look at Tommy with wonder. Commandramon seemed to understand Tommy's feelings and stood by his side as a loyal soldier would.

"You have clear eyes, young one. You have the eyes of a Beast, keen and sharp. Never lose that sight." Garurumon told them as he turned and tossed his head, motioning for them to follow him closely.

The Children complied.

----------

**Digimon World, Western Hemisphere (Leomon's Camp)**

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

Garurumon led the Children and their partners further west until they came into the Camp of Leomon. Tommy was at the head of the group this time and was hoping for a more vigorous camp sighting but was sorely disappointed. They whole camp seemed to be dead, silent, in mourning even.

_They must all be sad for their comrades….they must have cared a lot for each other. _Tommy thought to himself. He was so far very impressed with the Beast Digimon and how the Western Hemisphere was run. Garurumon gave them a kind of insight into the world of the West.

Baihumon's realm was run with a Representation kind of goverment, much like the Ancient Romans did during their Republic years. The only difference was that Military experience was everything and one had only to be a great leader to have a role in the ruling of the realm, no political knowledge was needed. The top three generals would meet with Lord Baihumon and assess the land and make changes as they saw fit. Below them would be law enforcement and other civil branches.

There was also a great deal of trust involved in this system. Baihumon watched over the home base of the West, where a sprawling metropolis was growing for the Digimon to find ways to cause Metal Digivolutions, where Digimon would Digivolve into metal forms. The children were told that Terriormon did not always digivolve into Gargomon but it was a result of their experiments and because of that special digivolution Gargomon's were the top soldiers in the army, mostly under the control of the Greatest of the Three Generals of the West, Rapidmon. The other two Generals were Leomon and Ogremon. Orgremon had the third Beast battalion under his command and was currently dealing with the northern campaign. Rapidmon was so powerful in the country that he had the First Beast batallion and, recently, gained control of two metal battalions which he was using in the battle against the East. That left the last metal battallion to Baihumon for home defense.

Of course Tommy was the only one that found any of this interesting. He found the order that was brought through this highly regulated system of laws by those that protect, handing down to law enforcement who then enforced the laws with punishments was a very effective way to run the world. He was very much in tune with their thinking.

"I must tell the Commander of your arrival, wait here." Garurumon said as they reached the inner part of the camp. The camp was not really a camp, it was more a…place in the shade. The beasts slept on the ground and the only tent was Leomon's. They used the trees for shade during the day but it was nearing night time and so everyone was pretty cool and comfortable, if only a little remorseful.

"It's just too sad…" Taiki murmured, "They lost so many friends in that battle. There has to be a way to save them!" He petted Kudamon and in response the little Digimon wrapped himself around Taiki's right arm.

"Yes! Save them! Save them! Save them!" Kudamon repeated with glee as he coiled tighter around Taiki's arm.

"I agree, there has to be something we can do." Tommy said, giving a thumbs up to his best friend, sparking a smile in return from Taiki.

"Yeah, but you heard them, they were just turned to stone. I don't know anything about turning stone statues back into people and I know ever less about doing it for Digimon!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"Yeah! It's impossible to do anything with out knowledge. Stop getting so hasty." Falcomon stated in argument.

"I've got an idea." Riku chimed in, "What if we destroyed all the Digimon that turned them to stone? If we did that maybe their attacks will be lifted."

"Yeah! Yeah! Let's get em! Mwhahah! I can make traps to hurt them, pranks to annoy them, and scare them with tricks so we can POW them!" Dracmon said with hysterical laughter as he started to imagine all the fun pranks he could play with them.

"Yeah, we should so do that!" Riku beamed as they began formulating a number of awesome plans to get those Digimon back.

"Hmph, it won't be that easy. The enemy that attacked us has been hiding ever since the battle started." A rough voice spoke. "Greetings, I am Leomon. Welcome, Humans."

"Hi..." The children and the Digimon said at almost the same time.

"As for your thoughts, this would be true. If the Kokatorimon that attacked us were destroyed then our friends would return to normal. But, alas we have had no luck in finding them." Leomon stated, "But, I'm surprised that the prophecy has come true and humans have appeared."

"So you guys know about us too?" Riku asked.

"Yes, humans are said to be able to turn the tide in this war with strange powers. All of the four Lords want you on their side. I hear that Zhuqiaomon has even issued orders to capture any humans and bring them to him for a meeting. He is a dictator who cares only for himself." Leomon growled at the mention of the Bird God's name.

"I see, so we are pretty important, huh?" Ayumi questioned.

"According to legend, yes. Come, inside the tent." Leomon waved them all inside.

Tommy began walking towards the tent but noticed that Riku and Dracmon still talking and ignoring their command to enter the tent. Tommy approached them with Commandramon.

"Sakamoto, lets go." Tommy said.

"Shut up, Draggers!" Riku snapped, "I'm thinking of a plan!"

"What plan is that? You heard Jijimon, our digimon are rookies we need more experience before we go fighting." Tommy said, patting Commandramon on the head.

"So, what! Are you scared, Commandramon?" Dracmon taunted as he waved his butt at Commandramon.

"Don't make me shoot you." Commandramon said with irritation.

"Don't be stupid, Sakamoto! You can't do anything by yourself!" Tommy objected.

"Fine! You stay here and wait for me!" Riku said, with abnormal calmness, "I'll be back with the prize. You just watch!" Riku said as he shoved past Tommy and Commandramon, heading towards the forest.

"Yeah, you better bring the prize or I'll never let you live it down!" Tommy egged on, with the same strange calmness as Riku.

It was as if the other didn't care what happened…

-----------

**Digimon World, Western Hemisphere (Leomon's Camp)**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

"That Tommy! Thinks he's so tough!" Riku fumed as he headed into the forest, following Dracmon who said he could see a lot better at night then in the day.

"Don't worry Riku! We'll set some traps up once we find them and POW! Hahahahahhaah!" Dracmon stated as he sniffed the air, "I smell data…lots of it!" Dracmon stated.

Dracmon was a data sucking Digimon, as a vampire would suck blood. So he could tell when Digimon were around by the excess data that floated around each Digimon, like a scent. They had only to follow it and then the would find the target.

After a small distance had been made Dracmon went on ahead to scout and Riku began setting up a few things planned for those Flying Digimon weirdo's. Riku laughed to himself as he went about his work, giggling with the finishing of each trap, trick, and prank he could find.

"Hey, Riku! I found them! Big birdies! Hahahah!" Dracmon said as he appeared once more.

"Great! Lead me to them and then we can have some fun!" Riku beamed.

Setting up a few more things with Dracmon's help on the way the two slowly advanced on the opening with a massive tree in it, used as a perch for the birds. Dracmon and Riku smiled at each other and Dracmon slowly floated up to the top of the tree and found the leader.

"WAKE UP!"

_**-CHOMP!- **_Dracmon attacked with his Undead Bite and latched unto the tail of their leader, Akatorimon.

"BUKAAA!" He cried as he instinctively tossed Dracmon from his tail, sending the little Rookie back to the ground and his partner.

In response a frenzy occurred, all the bird woke with a start and quickly found the cause. One human and a very silly Virus type digimon. The birds stared at them for a moment before realizing that Riku was indeed a human.

"A human! Our Lord wants all Humans to see him right away. Capture him!" Akatorimon said, sending the twenty some Digimon after the pair.

Riku and Dracmon then proceeded to run like scared little school girls with a mass of Kokatorimon, with their leader, giving hot pursuit.

_Okay, now to survive death a la enraged Kokatorimon mob! _Riku jumped over a log on the ground and quickly dived to the ground as Dracmon bit a vine that released a branch that was pulled back. The branch sprang forth, knocking two Kokatorimon backwards into their allies causing a kind of dog pile...only with big birds.

"HAHAHHAHA! That's great!" Dracmon said as he slapped his knee.

"COME ON, YOU CLOWN!" Riku yelled, grabbing Dracmon and pulling him through the air, "We have to get to the next trap." _We have to wear them down so we can fight them!_

It wasn't long before the birds were back on Riku's trail, in fact, Riku was hoping it wouldn't take long.

"NOW!" Riku said as he unleashed a second branch loaded with…Dracmon? The Digimon was sprung forward instantly in a flurry of leaves and twigs.

"CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!" The Digimon cried as he bit into the arm of the lead Kokatorimon.

"BUKKA! Off me you little pest!" The Digimon demanded, too afraid to using his attack on Dracmon for fear of turning himself to stone.

"HIYAH!" Dracmon, released Kokatorimon and kicked him in the shin before catching up to an already running Riku Sakamoto. The other Kokatorimon surging around the bitten target of Dracmon's attack.

_This is not working! They aren't getting any tired! Only one thing left!_ Riku and Dracmon propelled themselves through the forest, running into branches, jumping over logs, through webs, and past all many of strange looking Digimon who were quietly whitnessing to this bizzare passing circus of a chase.

Riku stopped and turned on his heels and picked up a vine, with Dracmon ready to bite it and sever it. The Kokatorimon saw this and stopped their advance, wary of what prank was next. The leader of the bird, Akatorimon stepped forward.

"Come on, Human! These childish pranks won't work on us!" He boasted.

"Hmph, really?" Dracmon bite the wire and a large rustling of leaves and a log came from behind them at an arc, ready to smash them to bits.

"AHH!" They all yelled in fear.

_**-WHAM!- **_The log collided with Digimon, sending all of them over Riku's head and into a clearing behind. Riku and Dracmon watched them in awe as they flew over head, like something out of a cartoon. The group landed with a large thud and a puff of smoke. Riku and Dracmon gave eachother a thumbs up and then took to the clearing to make a last stand.

"This is it Dracmon." Riku stated.

"Yep." His partner agreed.

"You, little runts! You will pay for this! And without those traps you are finished!" Akatorimon boasted as he formed his men up.

"Hmph," Riku smiled and stuck both hands in his pockets and looked at the ground as out of the shadows around the clearing a large number of beings began to approach.

"So you did bring the prize…" Tommy said as he walked out of the shadows and beside Riku. "I'll give you this one." Tommy smiled sarcastically.

"HAHAHA! Suckers! You feel right into our trap!" Dracmon laughed, as all around the Crack Bird Squad Leomon stepped out with his men. Taiki and Ayumi appeared along side Riku as well.

"What is this!" Akatorimon exclaimed.

"Oh, nothing. Just a plan," Riku began, "I didn't know if you were spying on the Beasts so I had to pick a fight with Tommy to make it look like nothing was being planned. I'm just glad he realized what I meant by 'I'll be back with the prize'...things could have gone badly if he hadn't."

"Yep, I realized it almost right away, this fool could never trick me, and had Leomon take down his tent and hide his men in the woods. Then we waited for you to get here. Stupid bird." Tommy finished the ploy, planned, set, and deployed by Rivals. "I guess you aren't completely useless, Riku."

"You either, Tommy." They responded, forgettig the use of their formal names.

"ACK! Take to the skies men!" Akatorimon yelled.

"No you don't! You give birds a bad name! Uchitake Drop!" Falcomon yelled as he flew over head, dropping small Bamboo cylinders that exploded all around the Akatorimon.

"Yeah! Bad birdies!" Kudamon said as he dashed around the group of birds, ramming any of them that tried to run. "Exceeding Light Dash!"

"Prepare yourselves." Commandramon stated as he shouldered his rifle and took aim.

"Yes! For our comrades and for revenge! ATTACK!" Leomon cried to his men, "Fist of the Beast King!"

"Noo!" Akatorimon yelled in defiance as the Beast Digimon unleashed their attacks on the birds. Falcomon continued to drop his bombs and Commandramon supplied support fire from his M16 Assassin (Rifle). Kudamon and Dracmon took a back seat in the fighting and watched silently. Commandramon unleashed his attack from his rifle and Falcomon kept the Kokatorion grounded with his barrage of bamboo bombs.

In a blazing display of colors and explosions all of the Bird Squad was completely destroyed, utterly and without remorse. After the battle Riku was praised as a Genius Strategist and the kids were given fruits, meat, drink, and celebrated all night long. It was also said that Riku and Tommy were the best of Rivals, and that their rivalry saved the day.

Each of the children laughed, ate and drank, and reveled in the fun of the game. This was by far the funniest game they had every played. It was even better when all the lost Digimon came back to the camp! There were thank you's all around! Digimon happy to have their friends back, a team restored, and comrades reunited. It was a joyous day indeed.

Yet, none of the children felt bad for the Digimon they destroyed….

After all, it was just a game.

------

N/A: Okay! So there was less fighting in this one then I thought. Sorry if that disappointed anyone. But! There will be some in the next one! In fact, there will be a Digivolution in it as well. Also, I find it hard to put the focus on all the characters, so sorry if some chapters focus on some of them more then others, but by the end of the story all of the kids should have had plenty of spot light time. This was obviously a Riku heavy chapter (And Midly Tommy.)

But, as I like to be Flexible I want your opinion! Who should Digivolve first? Hmm? Tell me who you want to see first! And maybe I'll choose that person to reach the next stage!

As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Read and Review!

-Arc


	5. A Belief Well Stood By

Chapter 4: A Belief Well Stood By

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

PS: Thanks to all my reviewers! And all my editor!

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digimon World, Western/Northern Hemisphere Border**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"Thanks a lot Leomon! Good luck!" Taiki shouted loudly to the beast commander as he waved them off.

After the night of festivities the group told Leomon that they were going to head to the North now. Leomon told them that he was under orders to deliver any humans to see Lord Baihumon but because of their valor and help, Leomon would allow them safe passage into the Northern Realm. They were escorted by Leomon and two Grizzlymon to the very edge of the Western lands where it met the North.

Leomon gave a small hand wave and smiled, baring his teeth, as he watched the children pass beyond his sight.

"This game is totally awesome! I love it." Riku beamed as he was still on his ego high from being the mastermind behind the Kokatorimon defeat.

_Hah, Riku. Always full of himself. _Ayumi chuckled at his oversized ego. She preferred Riku over the other two boys she was with, though Taiki was the only one she really had any real venom for. She just couldn't stand that boy for some reason! Everything he did irked her, the way he apologized for everything, the way he stumbled and got all teary eyed when he got hurt, how nice he was to everyone. He was a boy for crying out loud! He should have more of a backbone and show some gusto! But not Taiki, he was just a wimp.

She shook the thought of him and quickly took the lead away from Taiki who was excited by the sight of the massive forest ahead of them. Leomon told them as they traveled that the land of the North is comprised of three major forests connected together by hidden paths that only the digimon who lived their knew. No one knew how or where one forest would change into another.

They were told to avoid going deep into the forests because the Northern forces were experts at guerrilla warfare and hit and run attacks. Ayumi was kind of excited to see what adventures this game would through at them! She wanted to see more then anything some kick butt female digimon totally own some egotist guy Digimon.

So she took the lead through the dusty road that was leading them directly towards a huge forest, it was probably the size of a metropolis! Like Tokyo, or larger! Ayumi looked at it in awe as Falcomon flew ahead to scout.

"Wow, look at the forest! Its soooo big!" Taiki exclaimed!

"Big forest! Big forest!" Kudamon piped as he ran him around Taiki's waist in a made frenzy, sharing his partners enthusiasm.

"Its just a bunch of trees. No biggy at all, the West had some forest too." Riku murmured.

"Not as big as this! Look at the trees, they're all massive!" Taiki spoke cheerfully.

"Hahahah! Taiki, you are so crazy. A one in a kind nature lover, that's our Taiki!" Tommy bellowed.

"He's your Taiki, Sakamoto!" Ayumi yelled over her shoulder.

"Oh stop being a sour puss, Fujiwara." Tommy said bitterly.

"Let's not fight, we have to work together as a team." Commandramon spoke.

"I agree with Commandramon, we should focus our efforts on teamwork." Falcomon agreed.

"Who needs you guys? I'm awesome by myself!" Dracmon boasted.

The three boys continued to prattle on like nimrods as Ayumi kept to herself. She was only a tom-boy so she had the best of both worlds. She was tough and mean, but also smart and mature. She wasn't going to get wrapped up in an argument unless it involved verbally pounding the wimp Taiki into the ground.

The forest ahead was big though. In fact, everything about it seemed ridiculously large. The trees were at least twenty feet tall on average and the leaves were almost as big as Ayumi herself, she could probably lay down on one and sleep on it! She couldn't tell from here but everything else in the forest was probably big.

"Hey, Falcomon. You don't know anything about the Digimon world do you?" Ayumi asked.

"I'm afraid not, we weren't born like normal Digimon. I was born from your own heart, so I know only of the world you live in." Falcomon answered as he fluttered above Ayumi's head.

"I see." _This game is really realistic…I wonder who made it?_

"Uh oh…" Falcomon muttered.

"What is it?"

"A battle it looks like!" Falcomon boomed as he flew on ahead.

Ayumi turned to her boy counterparts, "Hey, you idiots! A battle is going on up ahead, lets go check it out!" Ayumi yelled as she began running after Falcomon into the vast forest.

The troupe headed towards a single rising line of smoke where the sound of fighting resonated loudly. The kids ran bravely into the fray, through the large trees that were spaced far apart from one another but were connected by massive branches that intertwined with the others and created like a network of branches that could probably be used to travel on.

The battle was an interesting display: a small group of woodland creatures, or Digimon, were darting out of the cover of the trees, attacking, and then diving back under cover. Some ran on the ground, others attacked from the branches, and some others did both.

On the ground were a three flaming Digimon. Two looked like men who were on fire and they were launching attacks madly at the Digimon on the ground, in a fight for survival. The third was a flaming lizard with a metal skull and claws.

"Listen, fellow Meramon! We must retreat now! Quickly!" Flarerizamon, the commander or leader obviously, shouted as he darted into the forest, with his comrades close behind. It took the kids a moment to notice that they were headed in their general direction.

"Humans!" Flarerizamon stopped and turned his head back to his allies, "Change of plans! Capture the humans to return to the South! Quickly now!" He commanded and sprang towards Ayumi.

"Ah! Falocmon!" Ayumi yelled.

"Stay away you brute!" Falcomon cried out, "Shuririnken!" He cried and out of his vest he pulled out a number of Shuriken and threw them at the lead Meramon.

"Flame hit!" He responded as he threw fire from his mouth. The Fireballs ignited the shuriken but failed to stop their advance and Flarerizamon was struck directly. He fell backwards as a hailing gunfire rained down on him.

"M16 Assassin!" Commandramon roared as he unleashed a volley of bullets on Flarerizamon .

"No one harms our captain!" The two companions bellowed as they unleashed their own volley of fireballs as they reached their fallen ally.

"Watch out!" Taiki yelled as they all dove for the ground as the fireballs rained down around them.

"Exceeding Light Dash!" A blue blur streamed forth from Taiki's jacket and made a ramming course for the left Meramon. The Digimon barely had enough time to dodge but left his leader in the way of Kudamon's attack. Flarerizamon let out a grasp as the rookie spearheaded him in the gut.

"Kudamon, get out of the way! Fire in the hole!" Commandramon yelled as he yanked a grenade from his vest and tossed it near the two Meramon and Flarerizamon as Kudamon dashed out as quickly as he came.

"DCD Bomb!"

_**-BOOM-**_

The Bomb exploded and the three were thrown off to the in random directions. Flarerizamon was blown into the air where he exploded into an array of data that dissipated as quickly as it appeared.

"Get the one on the right, Dracmon!" Riku told his partner.

"I'm on it! Eye of Nightmare!" Dracmon raced towards the furthermost Meramon on the right and thrust his hands into its face. The Eyes in Dracmon's palsm opened wide and let out a strange aura.

"What…what is going on!" The Meramon yelled as he stood up and stumbled about. He looked at his fellow teammate and let out a yelp, "Leomon! What are you doing here! You won't defeat me!" He cried as he attacked his teammate with hand to hand combat.

"No, what are you doing! Stop it!" His confused ally pleaded as he was forced back by his ally.

"Huh…You… you aren't Leomon! They tricked me!" Both Meramon turned to the Humans with fire in their already fiery eyes. They pulled back their fists and the four rookies stood ready to fight.

"Silly fire digimon. Did you forget about us?" A chimp like voice sounded. "Metallic fur!" Apemon declared as his fur because as hard as Iron and he dropped himself on the left Meramon, destroying him instantly.

"Mega Bone Club!" Apemon followed as he smashed the remaining Meramon squarely, sending him into the forest with the sound of deletion following shortly after.

"Wow! He's soo cool!" Taiki boomed as he looked at Apemon, who strapped his bone unto his back. The Digimon approached the children who stood on edge, excluding Taiki.

"Welcome Humans, to the Terminal Forest, the largest forest of the Northern Hemisphere. I am Apemon, captain under Lord Ebonwumon charged with defending the forest while the commanders are out fighting on the front lines.

"I'm Taiki!" The boy piped up as he pointed to his friends, "And this Tommy and Commandramon, Ayumi and Falcomon, and Riku with his partner Dracmon. My partner is Kudamon, right here." Taiki introduced them all as Kudamon crawled up Taiki's leg and up to his neck.

"I see, well, in thanks for stopping the retreat of those scouts I would like you to come with me. We can supply you food and water and talk." Apemon said.

"Talk? About what?" Ayumi asked defensively, taking a sort of parental role of the group unto herself.

"You are humans, correct? That means many things and I would like to talk about your intentions." The Ape digimon waved his hands above his head and a number of smaller apes, with oversized slingshots on their backs, came down from the trees.

"These are my allies, the Koemon (Monmon), we are the experts in Jungle Warfare. We patrol the jungle and kick out any intruders who may interfere." Apemon boasted as he began to walk deeper into the forest. Apemon waved for the Digidestined to follow.

---------------------------

**Digimon World, Northern Hemisphere Border (Central Terminal Forest)**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"So, the Northern Forces haven't tried to take any new land?" Taiki asked, interested in the working of this great forest world they were in.

"No, Ebonwumon is highly against any offensive combat and as put all of his forces on the defensive. We are currently under attack by one of the South's Greatest Generals. He is called the Great Fire General of the Earth, SkullMeramon. He is the only General of the South that can't fly, but he has never lost a battle before. This is his third campaign and has been going on for a little over a year….we fear we may not be able to push him from our lands." Apemon stated sadly.

"What does he do? If you can find in the forest then he shouldn't be able to find you, right?" Tommy asked.

"Normally yes, but he draws us out by setting fire to the forest. We must act if we are to save the forest from being completely destroyed."

"WHAT?" Taiki boomed loudly, "HE CAN'T DO THAT!" Taiki yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Quiet, Taiki! Skullmeramon's men might hear us!" Apemon pleaded. Taiki nodded and apologized quickly.

_Geez, Taiki is going to get us all a game over with his stupid love of nature. He's such a girly boy.. _Ayumi sighed irritably as they reached what would be called a city in the Digimon world. But in the human world it would be called the coolest damn tree house ever created by anyone.

It was several large trees craved out, which were used for housing, and the branches seemed to have been cut into straight paths between the trees that crisscross back and forth, much like a highway. Leaves used as platforms that could be raised or lowered by thin branches used a rope and some of the leafs were even cut into a sort of glider that many Digimon were using to get about.

Ayumi caught a glance at Taiki and swore he was going to pass out from the look of glee in his eye. Ayumi scoffed when she took a step forward, she too was at least a little curious about this.

"APEMON!" A shriek came.

Another Digimon, a very small baby, or In-training as they were called, came forward and jumped into Apemon's arms.

"What is it, Budmon?" Apemon asked of the green tad-pole like digimon, with a leaf for a tail and three purple spikes sticking out of its head.

"SkullMeramon! He's sent a force into Terminal again, they are burning everything to the east! I ran as fast as I could to get here!" The Digimon informed everyone.

"No! Koemon, we must hurry, gather as many of our fighters as you can and hurry to the eastern edge of Terminal!" Apemon commanded before turning to the children, "They say that the humans possess great power. You don't owe me anything, but I ask for your assistance if you would give it."

Ayumi looked at the boys who seemed to be thinking it over. Taiki was the first to burst out with a yes, Tommy followed shortly after, and Riku said he didn't care. Ayumi simply shrugged her shoulders, it was a game and they were supposed to fight in it. They might as well lend a hand.

Apemon nodded and dashed into the forest once more, with the Digidestined trailing right behind him. They raced to the east through the magical forest and after a short, and silent, jog the kids began to smell the distinct sent of something burning.

Before they got to the source of the fire they were met with the Digimon responsible for the burnings. They were large Dinosaur type Digimon, black skinned with red stripes on their body. Each paw had two massive claws with leather strapping tightly wrapped each finger, or claw in this case.

"DarkTyranomon, SkullMeramon's forest destruction force. They are powerful, don't take them on by yourself if you can help it." Apemon said as his forces gathered around him, ten Koemon in all.

The ten Koemon divided into two teams of five to combat the closest of the four DarkTyranomon. Apemon took a third, while the four Digidestined were left with the closet DarkTyranomon left.

"Alright, guys! Lets go get that big oversized dino!" Taiki roared.

"Shut up, Taiki. Kudamon is like the weakest of the Digimon we have; he's the smallest too." Ruki snapped.

"We just need to work together, team up on him and get him off guard." Tommy said.

"Yeah, lets spread out. Falcomon will hit him from the air, you three surround him. We can take him!" Ayumi yelled encouragingly.

"Humans? Yes! I'll defeat you and take you to my master SkullMeramon; this will boost my standings with him!" The DarkTyranomon roared as he stomped over to the kids, tearing up the ground as he eagerly tore through to capture the Digidestined.

"Get him Falcomon!" Ayumi cried out.

"Right! Uchitake Drop!" Falcomon began dropping the small makeshift bombs on the large Dinosaur. He stopped his advance but it didn't seem to be having any real effect.

"Tommy, Riku! You guys get in there!" Ayumi commanded, taking the role of leader.

"Right! Commandramon!" Tommy looked to his partner as he tossed a DCD bomb, which caused DarkTyranomon to stumbled back, before he shouldered his rifle and firing on full automatic.

"Right, you too Dracmon!" Riku told his partner.

"Hahaha! CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP!" Dracmon yelled as he flew around to the back of DarkTyranomon who was still defending his body from the bombs and gunfire. He stared at the large black tail before charging in with a wide and drooling mouth. Dracmon bit down unto the head of DarkTyranomon's tail, with the desired effect, causing damage that is.

"Oww!" The dark dinosaur roared, "You pests! Iron Tail!" DarkTyranomon raised his tail and swung it around, hitting Commandramon who was caught off guard, and slinging Dracmon into one of the massive trees surrounding the area.

"Take this you nuisance, Fire Blast!" The Virus Digimon opened its mouth and let loose a stream of fire.

"Falcomon, watch out!" Ayumi warned loudly.

Falcomon dove to the side, barely avoiding the attack. He pulled several shuriken from his vest and launched them at DarkTyranomon.

"Those won't work on me!" The viral digimon easily swiped them aside as an annoying pain erupted in his left foot. A glance down showed a dashing Kudamon zipping around DarkTyranomon's feet, ramming them ever so often before circling again.

"I'll delete you!" DarkTryanomon lifted one of its giant feet and stomped down on the ground, missed, and tried again. As Ayumi watched she couldn't help but feel a bead of sweat trail down her face as she watched the massive Dinosaur dance around trying to step on Kudamon.

_Oh, no! Dracmon and Commandramon! _Ayumi looked to her left and saw Riku and Tommy with their partners who seemed to be out cold.

_Darn, we really don't have any power at all at the rookie stage! _Ayumi ran over to Tommy and Riki and knelt down beside them.

"Are they okay!"

"Yeah, just knocked out." Tommy answered.

"We really need to do some…wait," Riku looked over his shoulder, "Where's DarkTyranomon?"

The area where Kudamon and DarkTyranomon was empty, save for the large foot prints of the virus dinosaur digimon. The shouting of Falcomon made them all look up towards the sky.

"Falcomon, where are Taiki and Kudamon?" Ayumi questioned in a worried tone.

"They led DarkTyranomon away! That stupid dinosaur is so easily distracted that he completely forgot about the rest of us! Taiki is drawing him away!" Falcomon stammered as he pointed in the direction of the lost allies and enemy.

All three children stood instantly. Taiki was alone with an enemy he couldn't win against, he was going to lose. They looked at each other and silently reminded themselves that it was only a game, but somewhere they had an ache, a kind of feeling that made you sure that something was amiss. Even though they all pushed the feeling aside, they couldn't help but worry for their friend.

-------------

**Digimon World, Northern Hemisphere Border (Central Terminal Forest)**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

_Have to lead him away from the others! _ Taiki told himself as he blasted through the forest with Kudamon running beside him. They two jumped over large roots and ran over cut down trees, the massive trunk the only remain.

Taiki looked over his shoulder to find DarkTyranomon was still hot on his trail. Taiki pumped his legs faster to make better distance between him and his friends. The shaded forest, protected from the sun by the massive leaves that covered the branches of this magic forest, gave way to sudden sun light as Taiki ran out of the forest and to an abrupt stop.

Taiki's feet stepped on soft ash, clinging and suffocating as his feet kicked it into the air. As far as the eye could see was ash, the remains of what was once several dozen of the great trees that Taiki had just been running by. They were burned so thoroughly that nothing was left but the coal black dust on the ground, left for the wind to pick up and carry to a new home.

"They…can't do this." Taiki murmured as Kudamon stared at it blankly. Kudamon turned around as DarkTyranomon caught up with the two.

"It feels good to be out of that ridiculous forest. I hate trees and after I finish with you I'm going to burn more of them!"

"You can't do this…" Taiki repeated himself as his hands tightened into fists.

"And what are you going to do about it?" DarkTyranomon asked.

Taiki tightened his fists and reached up to his collar and zipped up his jacket tightly, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned around with a resolute look on his face. He looked up at the giant before him and with tears forming in his eyes he stated, "I'll stand here and stop you or burn with these trees."

"Fine, stand there if you want! One lost human won't matter.!" DarkTyranomon unleashed a stream of fire at Taiki and Kudamon.

_Grandfather, watch me. I'm going to fight for something I believe in…and I believe in that no one should be allowed to destroy nature! The very thing that makes our world beautiful!_

A golden flash erupted from Taiki's body and DarkTyranomon's attack hit something that appeared to be a shield of sorts. A pillar of light rose from where Taiki stood while the shield like light surrounded Kudamon who was standing in the path of the fire attack. Both lights were as golden as the sun itself.

"Believe," Kudamon said as he leapt into the air as the golden light completely hid the form of the tiny Digimon, "Kudamon Digivolve to…. Reppamon!"

The light shattered, canceling DarkTyranomon's attack, and from that light landed a very different Digimon. He was a fox, as big as a large dog, with a white kitsune mask with a golden brown lighting bolt painted over the eyes and with three purple lines from the top of the mask to the beginning of the nose. White hair stuck up from the edges of the mask. Its body was covered in a light brown fur while its paws were a dark brown color. It carried a Yin-Yang sign on both of his upper legs and tied around its neck was a very thick orange and white rope. Finally, and most unusual, was its tail which looked like a blue and white metal blade with a red eye on it.

"What?" Taiki asked, stunned at this transformation.

"I am Reppamon, Champion form of Kudamon. Your desire to protect something dear to you has spurred my Digivolution." Reppamon took a step away from Taiki and looked at Dark Tyranomon, "Leave it to me now, I will protect this forest for you."

"Grrr, you think just because you Digivolved you can defeat me!" DarkTyranomon roared.

"Yes, and I'll show you how! Whirling Blade!" Reppamon crouched down and then launched himself with amazing speed at DarkTyranomon. Reppamon began to do a forward roll, its tail-blade flashing brilliantly. Reppamon's enemy raised up its arms in defense but the impact still caused damage despite the defensive maneuver.

"Ouch! Try this, Iron Tail!" A powerful tail swing was launched at the fox champion which was easily dodged by Reppamon, who dove into the forest with DarkTyranomon again following the new champion blindly.

The chase was obviously one sided; DarkTyranomon was slow and clumsy while Reppamon was swift, agile, and could run up the trees with extreme ease. In the forest Reppamon was the better suited of the two. The fox Champion bolted from tree to tree while DarkTyranomon had to go around them slowly, the trees being to big too knock over easily.

"Come back here, you pest!" DarkTyranomon yelled out of aggravation.

"Fine, I suppose this is far enough anyway." Reppamon stated as he leapt up onto a bridge like branch that connected to another tree nearby. "Random Beast Fang Attack!" Reppamon dove towards the ground and recoiled towards DarkTryanomon, slicing him across the stomach before retreating behind a tree.

"Curse you!" The black dinosaur turned to the tree that Reppamon had hid behind.

"Behind you!" Another strike landed on DarkTyranomon's back. Reppamon then vanished into the forest once more. The evil Digimon turned again only to be struck from another blind side and no matter how DarkTyranomon tried to track Reppamon he found that his large body was incapable of doing it with all these trees around. The blows continued to come at him with no end in sight.

"Had enough, yet?" Reppamon mocked as he dove behind a tree once more.

DarkTyranomon roared loudly in his frenzy, "If I can't get you, I'll burn this entire forest to the ground! Fire Blast." The Champion inhaled a deep breath and released the stream of fire at a tree directly in front of him.

"And that will be the last tree you ever harm." Reppamon's voice shouted from above as the Champion sprung down on from the tallest part of the burning tree. "Whirling Blade!" Reppamon began a powerful forward roll, increasing in speed as he descended on DarkTyranomon, the virus digimon was caught off guard and struck square in the head. Reppamon's blade-tail struck true and DarkTyranomon's body began to break up into the basic coding he was comprised of. With a loud thud Reppamon landed on all fours just as Taiki caught up to the two Digimon.

"Reppamon!" Taiki called out.

"It's over, I defeated DarkTyranomon." Reppamon stated.

"That's great, but we have to help the others!" Taiki warned.

"Alright! On my back, we'll go help them!" Reppamon turned so Taiki could put himself on Reppamon's back and with lightning speed Reppamon took off through the forest an temporary battle field.

Racing back towards the original center of the battle revealed an ended battle. Apemon could be see with less then half of his original force and his three friends. Reppamon galloped over to the group who all turned to regard the coming of a new warrior.

"Look, guys! Kudamon Digivolved!" Taiki shouted as he slid off of Reppamon's back as his teammates ran over to meet Reppamon. Taiki, feeling suddenly fatigued leaned against Reppamon's side.

"Wow, awesome Taiki!" Tommy congratulated as Riku scoffed and Ayumi eyed Reppamon searchingly. Tommy looked at his friend and gave him a soft punch, "You okay? You look tired?"

Taiki laughed a little but waved the worry off, "I'm fine… just tired…" Taiki muttered before dropping to the ground, prompting Tommy to rescue his friend.

"Taiki? Taiki?" Tommy shouted as a large thud sounded behind him. Tommy turned to see Reppamon fall to his side as well and then revert to his rookie form.

Tommy continued to shake his friend while Ayumi and Riku ran over to see about Kudamon. They both seemed completely unconscious but neither seemed to have any external wounds.

The last thing Taiki could remember was Tommy asking him what happened to him and for some reason Taiki could only think of his grandfather and wondering if he made him proud.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**N/A:** OKAY! First, I seriously have to apologize about Reppamon and describing him. He was just soooo complicated to do so! If you can't get a mental image then google Reppamon and you'll be squared away.

And, the thing with Taiki's grandfather will be explained later in the story! I set up the chapter to be from Ayumi's point of view, though you won't learn a lot about her until later on!

Lastly, I apologize in advance, this chapter lacks the certain flair I felt the other chapters had. Not sure what it was about this, but I just felt it wasn't on par with the others. Hopefully, the next one will have that old flame back, and hopefully I'll get it done sooner!

So, read, enjoy, and review if it suits your fancy.

-Arc.


	6. The Power of the Heart!

Chapter 5: The Power of the Heart!

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

PS: Thanks to all my reviewers! And all my editors!

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**Digimon World, DigiCentral**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

It all happened so fast: the battle with Dark Tyranomon, Taiki running away and then reappearing with a newly digivolved Reppamon, only to collapse moments later for unknown reasons. After that everything was a blur, Apemon was talking, Tommy and Riku were arguing over what do to, and Ayumi was left gripping her head from all the voices until….she yelled at each and everyone of them profusely, angrily, and commandingly.

They all shut their traps after that.

Ayumi had decided, being the ONLY person with some real common sense, to take Taiki and Kudamon back to see Jijimon. Ayumi guessed that only Jijimon would know what happened to them, it would be Jijimon. So Apemon took Taiki on his back, and Kudamon in Ayumi's arms, and the group traveled south to a place called the 'One Hut City' where the famous mediator Jijimon lived.

They had arrived like a crashing train; Tommy burst in Jijimon's hut yelling at him that something was wrong, Riku was trying to wake Taiki up by messing with him, which caused Ayumi to raise her fist and tell him to stop clowning around.

"I'm only trying to help!" Riku roared at Ayumi.

"You stupid idiot! Does it look like Taiki needs you trying to fart in his face?" Ayumi bellowed back, each child not realizing they had stopped using each others formal names sometime ago, misusing the Tommy and Riku when they were angry with the other.

"It's worked before?" Riku muttered as he crossed his arms irritably.

Ayumi was about to beat the fifth grade bully into a pancake when Jijimon came outside and had Apemon bring Taiki and Kudamon in. After the two were settled Apemon expressed an apology that he could not stay, but a war was going on and he had to return to defend his lands. SkullMeramon would not wait for Taiki and Kudamon to heal.

"So, what happened to them, Jijimon?" Tommy asked worriedly, after Apemon had left and the children had settled down in the hut. Taiki and Kudamon were given a place close to the fire, in the center of the hut.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. This is an average part of Digivolution…at least in the case of a human and digimon." Jijimon answered.

"What does that mean!" Ayumi demanded.

"Calm down and let me explain. I suppose I should have done this before you left but it escaped my mind." Jijimon laughed heartily while the others all raised fists at the old hermit with veins popping up along their forheads, prompting him to continue.

"Normally a Digimon digivolves when he has defeated enough enemies, thus gaining experience, and after growing up for a time. In this case it occurs almost in an instant, one moment you have a rookie and the next you have a champion. But, you created your Digimon yourselves and they have a special bond with you as their partners. What this means is that you can force a digivolution to take place, by using that bond and your heart as fuel to jump-start your partners evolution."

"So…they use our hearts? Does that mean we have to get all mushy to get stronger?" Riku asked as if he was struck with a brick. Looking at Dracmon they both knew they could never get mushy like Taiki and Kudamon!

"No, no. The power of the heart is something that is unique to each of you. You can force a digimon to evolve through love or hate, sorrow or joy, the need to protect those that are precious to you or to simply protect yourself. The power of the heart is only what you make of it and will ultimately determine what your partner becomes in the long run. Whether it be a holy knight or a demon lord." Jijimon ended.

"Okay, so we understand how Kudamon digivolved, but why are they like this?" Ayumi question.

"Simple, they simple exhausted their strength. Look at it as a math equation; If Kudamon needs ten points to digivolve but only has two then Taiki must supply eight points. But if Kudamon has nine points then Taiki needs only to supply one point. Kudamon probably didn't have a lot of experience so Taiki had to give a large amount of his strength of heart which fatigued him while Kudamon felt a similar affect because he crashed because of Taiki's strength suddenly leaving him and without that power Kudamon was quickly dedigivolved. This dramatic fall from the rise in power has only greatly fatigued them and as they get stronger it should become easier and easier for them to make the change and maintain it without draining either of them."

Each child looked at Jijimon for a long time, taking in what he said. Riku nodded with understanding, Ayumi looked a bit confused, and Tommy…Tommy was counting on his fingers figuring out the math problem that Jijimon had used, highly confused by math in school. The partner digimon had similar reactions to their partners.

"I'm going to find a few things to eat while finding a special plant that should help Taiki and Kudamon regain their strength. You should all focus on resting while I'm gone." Jijimon advised as he stood, grabbing his cane as he walked out of the hut and into the jungle behind his house.

Silence echoed in the hut, with all of the kids wondering what their digimon partners would look like. Riku was poking Dracmon in the head, and in return Dracmon tried to bite the finger. Tommy had finally got the idea behind the math problem and seemed content with that. And Ayumi sighed and stared dumbly into the fire. Commandramon and Falcomon were near the hut entrance, standing guard.

After several moment Riku yawned and laid down on the ground.

"Well, I'm going to sleep, wake me up when Jijimon gets back" Riku motioned to his partner and Dracmon laid down next to his partners head.

"Let's get some sleep too, Commandramon." Tommy followed Riku's and Dracmon's example and also laid down to take a nap.

_Typical, just leave everything to me! They least that could do was take some of the responsibility of watching over Taiki! _Ayumi fumed. She sat cross-legged as Falcomon walked over to her side and sat down as well.

"Stupid boys, making me do all the work, what losers." Ayumi muttered as she rubbed her eyes of sleep.

"Yes, even Dracmon and Commandramon are sleeping. Shameful." Falcomon agreed with a nod and then a yawn. The Rookie looked at Ayumi comically as she whacked him across the head for making her feel more sleepy.

Ayumi's mind began to drift and she wondered what her family was doing. Her brothers were probably home now and worried about her and her father would not like the fact she was gone so late. They always looked out for her but treated her like one of the boys. That was why she loved them so much, they treated her just like they would any other person, she felt equal in their eyes.

Just as Ayumi felt herself slipping into sleep did a sound come from outside the hut, a large sound of a something hitting the ground. Tommy and Riku sprung up out of reflex and stood instantly.

The two boys nodded to each other and looked to Ayumi before running outside with their partners at their side. Ayumi stood, looking at Taiki and Kudamon for a moment, making sure they'd be alright, and then followed her two knuckle headed friends outside.

--------------------------------

**Digimon World, DigiCentral**

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

"Commandramon!" Tommy yelled as his partner was knocked aside by a fearsome champion Digimon. Dracmon too had just be thrown to the side momentarily.

"Tommy, what's going on!" Ayumi called out to her friend.

"He wants to capture us! A bounty hunter or something." Tommy said through gritted teeth, "He's Musyamon and he says he wants to sell us to one of the four Lords for power or something."

"I'll get Falcomon--

"No! Me and Riku are going to lead him away from this place, Taiki and Kudamon could accidentally be hit! You need to stay here and watch him while we deal with this guy!" Before Ayumi had any chance to answer Tommy took off with Riku who, though far to the right, was taking the same measures as Dracmon and Commandramon took turns in attacking as they retreated as well.

"Hah, you can't escape from the great master swordsman, Musyamon!" The Digimon clad in samurai armor and wielding the White Bird Sword, which looked to be a ridiculously large katana. He was a Champion level virus digimon who was here to cash in with these humans and their partners.

"Yeah, well you'll have to catch us ugly face!" Riku taunted as Dracmon came up and did a butt shake in mid-air.

"Heh…I only need one of your kids to get the reward! So just for that, I'm going to destroy you both!" Musyamon proclaimed as he charged at full speed. The chase led the combatants to a small lake surrounded by jungle. Seeing no way to get across, the two Digidestined and their partners turned to face their opponent.

"Ready, Commandramon?" Tommy asked.

"Affirmative." Came the quick reply.

"Dracmon?" Riku asked.

"Chomp, chomp!" Dracmon answered happily. The little digimon attempted its Undead Bite on Musyamon but was easily knocked aside by the Champion's quick reflex, resulting in a right forward kick to the poor rookies face.

"Commandramon, cover for Dracmon!" Tommy shouted as his rookie partner tossed in a DCD bomb towards Musyamon which exploded as soon as it hit the ground.

"That won't work on me!" The Champion warrior roared as he leapt out of the smoke filled area, courtesy of the DCD Bomb, and came down with a powerful vertical slash. Commandramon rolled to the side as Dracmon returned, biting deep into Musyamon's right shoulder, penetrating the armor that protected the Champion's body.

"Argh!" Musyamon called out as he grabbed Dracmon with his left hand, tore him from his shoulder, and threw him at Commandramon. The two rookies smashed into each other and rolled backwards from the impending enemy.

"This is it? This is all the fabled Digidestined can muster! What a joke, and to think the world thinks you can stop this war." Musyamon taunted

"We aren't done yet you stupid looking…thing!" Tommy spat, finding himself not very good at insults.

"..Just for that...you go first." Musyamon grinned, "White Bird Sword!" The Champion surged forward at Tommy. Musyamon's sword glowed white as he came down on Tommy, who could only stand still out of fear. He raised his sword as Commandramon let loose a volley of gun fire that distracted the warriors attention long enough for Dracmon to tackle him away from Tommy.

"Get away Tommy!" Commandramon shouted as he ran up to his human partner and pointed away from the battlefield. Commandramon turned as Dracmon was once again thrown to the side, not even worth killing in Musyamon's eyes.

_This isn't working! We don't have the power to win like this. How did you do it, Taiki! How did you get Kudamon to digivolve….darn it why couldn't you be awake right now and fighting with us? _Tommy rampaged in his own head searching for some way to end this battle. His thoughts were interrupted as Commmandramon was thrown away to the side just as Dracmon was moments ago.

"Well, now that we're done. Let's--" A small rock smashed into Musyamon's head, causing the champion to flinch and look in Riku's direction. Musyamon smiled and then started to walk over to the bully of the 5th grade.

"Riku! Run!" Tommy yelled to his rival.

"Stay away from Riku!" Dracmon yelled as he put himself in the way of Musyamon. The Virus Champion looked down at his rookie brethren and laughed.

"Argh, Undead Bite!" Dracmon cried as he attacked Musyamon. The rookie lunged forward towards the larger digimon, mouth wide, and came into contact with the blade of Musyamon who had swung it in a horizontal sweep. Dracmon was hurled back towards Riku, who could only catch his partner and fall back on his butt from the impact.

"Commandramon!" But Commandramon was already on the way, running to the aid of Riku and Dracmon. The Rookie ran with all his might but found himself slow and clumsy with all of his gear but couldn't drop his rifle or he would just become a target for the Champion who currently owned the battlefield.

"Well, I suppose this is the end for you." Musyamon spoke solemnly as he raised his blade over his head. Riku held Dracmon to his chest as he sat on his knee, eyes closed, and waited for the coming 'game over'.

It was the atmosphere of it all, the smell, the pressure, the presence. In the back of his head Tommy knew it was a game and yet he didn't care. He felt like if he left Riku get hurt he was going to vanish forever, and that would go against everything he stood for. He was a son of a soldier who had sworn to protect all those that couldn't protect themselves.

_No…I won't let it end like this. We have to be faster, sharper, stronger! FASTER, SHARPER, STRONGER! __COMMANDRAMON!_

A blinding blue light swept over the small area. The small lake in the middle of the forest clearing lit up as if it had a soul radiating from below its depths. The light rushed forward from Tommy like a crashing wave and consumed Commandramon as he charged towards Musyamon.

And time seemed to stop to all those around.

"_Faster, Sharper, Stronger!" _Tommy thoughts burned in Commandramon's head, "Commandramon digivolve too…Sealsdramon!" From the blue wave burst forth a gray, metallic shape. The blur moved and collided into Musyamon, who had been completely thrown off by this emergence of light.

"WAH!" The Champion cried as he was slammed by the gray blur and sent hurtling into the lake.

"Who..?" Riku muttered as he looked up at the figure before him.

"I am Sealsdramon, the Champion form of Commandramon." The newly transformed champion stated. He was a humanoid reptile incased in gray metal like armor, he held a combat knife upside down in his right hand. His right eye was red and his left was a white lens, scanning the surrounding area. He had two extra knives strapped to his right upper leg and stood in a front martial art stance.

"Wow…" Tommy looked in awe at his partner, not noticing that his own body still softly radiated the blue light that had faded away as quickly as it had come. His partner stood like a stone monument, a testament to the power needed to cause the transformation.

In a spray of ink blue water, Musyamon rose from the lake and landed back on land. He was breathing heavily from being underwater but quickly caught his breath. The Samurai digimon gripped his sword and regarded Sealsdramon with antipathy.

"So...this is the power of the Digidestined, they make their partner Digivolve to the next level without the need of experience. Well, you may be a champion but I am the more experienced! "Musyamon took hold of his sword and charged at Sealsdramon, "And now this warrior plays to kill!" Musyamon's speed increased dramatically with his words, showing he had only be playing before.

"We will see! Scounter Monoeye!" The singular lens that replaced Sealsdramon's left eye twisted slightly and zoomed forward as it analyzed Musyamon. In an instant the scan was done and Sealsdramon was charging to meet Musyamon. "Death Behind!"

Sealsdramon's speed became alarming and as the two closed in the Cyborg Champion whipped around unexpectedly and positioned himself behind Musyamon. His knife was pointed towards his enemies back and plunged forward.

"Too slow." Came a mocking voice. Musyamon had followed Sealsdramon's movements efficiently and had parried the attack with his own blade. They were now locked in a power struggle, their blades hissing and groaning as they pressed against the other.

"Even with your new strength, you won't win." Musyamon taunted.

"You don't know me and Tommy very well then." Sealsdramon retorted, "We never let our comrades get hurt. Ever."

"Hahaha, we'll see about that!" Musyamon leapt back, ending the power struggle, and charged as soon as his feet touched ground. Sealsdramon mimicked the move and soon they were in a battle of skill with a blade. Their weapons flashed, sliced, cut, and parried the blows of the other. Musyamon used his swords length to keep Sealsdramon away while the Cyborg Champion used his powerful left eye to help predict his next move.

"Come on, Sealsdramon! You can do it!" Tommy rooted. He howled to his partner, seeing that maybe, just maybe, they could win.

"Argh!" Sealsdramon spat as he took a blow from Musyamon's mighty sword. The Champion parried the next blow and the next but couldn't prevent the third. It seemed that the tide was changing once more.

---------

**Digimon World, DigiCentral**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

And here he was, on his knees with his partner barely awake laying down next him, watching the battle continue. He watched as Commandramon charged in to save them, as the blue wave consumed everything, and the emergence of Sealsdramon and the saving of his own life.

And he hated it.

He hated that Tommy, of all people, saved him. Hated that his worst enemy had been the one to turn the battle in their favor. But most of all, Riku hated the feeling of inferiority, the feeling that he had to rely on Tommy in order to survive and beat this digimon fighting machine. The envy, bitterness, and resentment was slowly building.

"Watch out!" Tommy yelled as his partner was dealt a stinging blow by Musyamon who was slowly gaining the advantage, proving that experience was the deciding factor in this battle. Riku didn't care, he was wallowing in his self pity, knowing that it was stupid to do so.

"I'm going to get that Sealsdramon and Musyamon…just you watch, Riku." Dracmon uttered pathetically.

Riku could only nod to his partner as he looked up briefly to see that Sealsdramon was indeed being pushed back. Riku gritted his teeth knowing that if Sealsdramon lost then he lost as well. It was that reliance on Tommy and his partner that Riku hated the most.

_Why? Why did HE have to save me! _

"Stupid Sealsdramon, if only I had more power…" Dracmon fumed silently.

_Yeah….power…power to protect myself, to protect the things I want to protect, the power to rely on no one else but me! Power…power…power…power._

"That's what we need, Dracmon, power, and more power, and more…and more, and more, AND MORE!" Riku yelled, sparking a strange occurrence that was immediately felt throughout the area. A heavy and oppressive feeling. The ground under Riku began to grow dark and purple and spread across the ground.

_The power to protect ourselves, the power to rely on only our strength. POWER!_

The last gate opened and the flood opened, it ran across the ground like the plague, consuming everything but no harm came to anything it touched. Dracmon, who had been on the ground resting against Riku's knees was consumed by this darkness along with Riku.

"Power…Power!" Dracmon cried with renewed vitality. "Dracmon Digivolve too…"

"You won't win like that, you incompetent warrior!" Musyamon had dealt a heavy blow to Sealsdramon's gut, knocking the champion down on his back. Again, the champion raised its blade but felt the ominous presence of another behind him.

"Sangloupmon!" An array of data emerged from the shadow of Musyamon and formed almost instantly in the form of a lion with paws consisting of multiple blades, bat like wings on its front shoulders and where the ears resided. It had long fangs, like a saber tooth. On its back and tail were red bat wing designs. Its fur was a light purple, excluding its mane and tip of its tail which was silver.

The lion sized digimon lunged at Musyamon with its bladed front paws. The blow resulted in an agonized yell from Musyamon as he was blown over Sealsdramon and into the dirt hard. The Demon Beast Digimon walked up to the side of Sealsdramon and scoffed, "Now, we're even." And without another word he charged at Musyamon as he regained his standing.

"I'll get rid of you all!" The Samurai roared as his blade came up and slashed towards Sangloupmon who jumped high into the air and used its Sticker Blade attack, which launched numerous small blades from its fur and mane, which seemed to be a bottomless pit filled with them. The rain came cascading down on Musyamon who could only hold his sword up and deflect as many of the blades as possible.

"Great job! I'll finish him!" Sealsdramon cheered as he dashed around to the back of Musyamon and attempted to deal the final blow. The knife came down and was instantly cut off, surprisingly, by Sangloupmon.

"What are you doing?" Sealsdramon demanded as Musyamon repelled himself from the two champions.

"He is mine! I don't need your help, Sealdramon!" Came the response.

"We can't beat him one on one, we have to team up!"

"Shut up! I have my own power now and I don't need you anymore! Let me handle this and don't get in my way…and I won't destroy you too!"

The three digimon stood in a lop-sided triangle, staring each other down, wary of making the first move. The battle, now three way, seemed to only grow more heavy as neither made any attempt to attack first. It was a stand-off.

"Riku, what is Sangloupmon, doing!" Tommy yelled as he raced over to Riku's position, happy that Riku had digivolved his friend but worried about the nature in which the change occured. It was very different from his own light, which was like an ocean wave, but Riku's seemed more like a virus than anything else.

"He's fighting with his new power. Duh." Riku answered.

"No, I mean why did he stop Sealsdramon?" "Riku, what is Sangloupmon, doing!" Tommy yelled as he raced over to Riku's position, happy that Riku had digivolved his friend but worried about the nature in which the change occured. It was very different from his own light, which was like an ocean wave, but Riku's seemed more like a virus than anything else.

Riku looked at his supposed teammate and just shrugged. He looked at the battle and nodded approvingly. _This is what Jijimon meant…Power of the Heart. I can become strong by being me, by accepting myself and giving that power to Dracmon I can make him stronger then anyone else. This is my Power, and Sealsdramon just better stay out of Sangloupmon's way._

"Riku! We have to work together." Tommy pleaded.

"Shut up. I don't have to listen to you, Draggers. Stop using my given name. You aren't my FRIEND!" Riku yelled.

Tommy seemed struck, as if surprised by Riku's actions. They stood staring the other down just as their partners were doing at this exact moment.

"I see…so its like that is it?" Tommy asked.

"Its like that." Riku answered.

"Time to finish this!" Musyamon charged, prompting Sangloupmon and Sealsdramon to charge as well. They met in the center and thus began the second round of the fight for survival. As they battled, two boys stood staring the other down.

A second battle was about to begin.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**A/N: **And here we are at another chapter! I hope this one got back that flair of the first chapters, though it is definently the most action packed of them all.

For those of you that may be wondering about Ayumi, fear not! For she will get prime time on the stage soon enough! All things must play out accordingly and sometimes the a character must wait to be presented properly! So Ayumi, I ask that you wait only a little longer.

The usual, sorry for typos, review please, and all that jazz. Oh, and tell a friend about this too! So read and enjoy!

-Arc.


	7. No Other Way! But to Fight!

Chapter 6: No other way! But to Fight!

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

Thanks for all the reviews and support! I encourage questions too, things that don't make sense, or whatever! Keep them coming!

And on a last note, some sections won't have POV's, because of the special situations of some of the scenes.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digimon World, DigiCentral**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

"Listen, Draggers, lets be real. We were never friends." Riku said in his normal big guy tone, that he hadn't used since they landed in the digital world. Riku extended his right arm towards Tommy and pointed at him threateningly.

"Remember when we first got the game? I said I would have the better digimon that would beat yours! I forgot it for a while, I'll admit, but now I'm going to show you that I'm the best!" Riku boasted as he made a thumbs down sign.

"Yeah, I remember, "Tommy answered midly, "And I guess that means only one thing, huh? No other way."

"Yep, there's no other way." Riku agreed.

"But to fight!" They both snapped at the same time. There was a kicking up of dust and a pumping of legs that signaled the two boys making a collisions course. As they neared they both thought back to the first time it came down to this.

When there was no other way…but to fight.

**:Flash Back:**

**(Six Months Earlier)**

It was Riku's first day and already he had found someone to pick on and it was that same day that Tommy, the big brother of the fifth grade, decided to challenge the bully. It was the middle of recess and they were staring the other down with defiant stares as Riku made the first move, charging Tommy and pulling his right fist back to put Tommy in his place. Riku came on strong but Tommy was the quicker and better trained, being taught by his father how to defend himself. The tussle quickly ended with Riku flat on the ground.

"I'll get you for that!" Riku spat as he stood up hastily. The boy charged Tommy and again Riku found himself on the ground, this time face first.

"You won't ever beat me. A bully like you won't ever beat me." Tommy stated as he shrugged and began to walk away from Riku.

"Where are you going!" Riku shouted after him.

"I'm done, you've lost." Tommy answered.

"Argh, next time! I'll beat you Draggers, I swear!"

And from then on it has been a bitter rivalry between the two. They competed in everything, and for the most part they seemed tied. In sports, fights, and physical things Tommy always came out on top. But in everything mental, math, science, Riku was always the better.

**:End Flash Back:**

And this fight, was no different. Both had something to prove; to prove who was right.

_I beat you today Draggers! This time, I come out on top!_

_I'm going to end this once and for all! This is the last fight we ever have, Sakamoto!_

They both came at each other, fists raised, aimed, and fired. Tommy's fist hit first, sending Riku stumbling back with an advancing Tommy launching himself forward, head first, and tackling Riku to the ground. The two boys hit the ground as they began to wrestle for dominance.

----------

**Digimon World, DigiCentral, Jijimon's Hut**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiawara**_

"Where are those boys!" Ayumi grumbled as she stomped around in front of Jijimon's hut. She kept flinging her hands into the air and throwing nasty slurs towards Tommy and Riku. Falcomon decided that joining in would be a bad thing so he kept to himself.

"Falcomon, do you see anything!" Ayumi demanded of her partner, prompting Falcomon to jump.

"I'll take a look." Falcomon answered as he rose up into the sky and began surveying the area, which had moments ago felt like two large tremors had shaken the earth.

Falcomon's eyes scanned once more, for good measure, and caught the smallest of shifts in the scenery. So small that he might have disregarded it if not for being almost certain of its origin.

"Shuririnken!" The flying rookie let loose a volley of shuriken that was met instantly with another volley of shuriken.

"Nice try!" A small blur shouted as he leapt out of the jungle and landed on the top of Jijimon's hut. He was small and round, with little legs and arms coming out of his body. He had a red bandanna over his face, fishnets covering his arms and legs, and red gloves and red shoes. He wore on his back a small sword and had spiked shoulder guards.

"Who are you?" Ayumi asked as she turned to the source of Falcomon's sudden aggression.

"I'm Ninjamon, a champion level vaccine type! A bounty hunter Digimon here to steal Musyamon's bounty! Hahaha!" The little champion answered.

"Oh, yeah? Well you won't take me that easily!" Ayumi shouted.

"I don't want you, I want the one that is inside this hut sleeping! He'll be the easiest to take!" Ninja proclaimed as he pulled his sword and prepared to cut through the roof of the hut.

"No you don't! Shuririnken!" Falcomon launched more shuriken at Ninja who was forced to leap off the hut to avoid the attacking ninja stars.

"Fine then! I'll just get rid of you and then take your friend." Ninjamon sheathed his sword as he landed on the ground and pulled his own shuriken, "Iga-Style Shuriken Throw!" Ninjamon began throwing his own shuriken rapid fire at Falcomon, who could only dodge them barely.

"Hang in there Falcomon!" Ayumi called out to her partner as she looked over her shoulder in the direction of where Tommy and Riku had run off.

_Come on guys…I need your help._

------------------

**Digimon World, DigiCentral, **

_**POV: None**_

"Stickler Blade!"

"Shogun Sword!"

A barrage of knives shot from Sangloupmon at Musyamon who used his great sword to knock the knives away with lightning fast strikes. The movement of Sealsdramon made Musyamon jumped away the falling knives and further from Sealsdramon, who was now in the way of Sangloupmon's attack.

"Get out of my way, Sealsdramon!" The virus beast Digimon yelled as he watched Musyamon charge in on Sealsdramon. The two met with slashing blades and Sangloupmon took advantage of the chaos to jump in himself.

"Ugh!"

"You!"

Both Champions turned their attention to Sangloupmon as he rushed them, dropping their current engagement to defend themselves against their newest attacker. Sangloupmon sprung forward towards Sealsdramon who leapt back from the attack and allowed Musyamon to strike the virus champion squarely and send him into the ground on his side.

"Take this, Sangloupmon!" Musyamon raised his giant blade just as Sealsdramon appeared in front of the samurai champion.

"Forget me!" Sealsdramon's knife blazed forward in a wide arc, slashing Musyamon across the torso and sending him reeling back as well.

"Look who's talking!" Sangloupmon's voice rose as he tackled Sealsdramon to the ground before the beast champion sprung away from his prey to regard both of his opponents.

"You pests! I'll get rid of you both!" Musyamon sprung towards the downed Sealsdramon, attempting to slice him in two from the torso. Sealsdramon was only quick enough to parry the blow before Sangloupmon jumped in once more and tackled both Sealsdramon and Musyamon into the dirt.

But for the Demon Beast things would not end so easily, both Sealsdramon and Musyamon reached out with their free hand, gripping the attacking viral demon before Sealsdramon thrust up with his knife. Sangloupmon cried out as the knife drove into his mane, only to be launched into the air by Musyamon who had gotten his feet under Sangloupmon and thrust him high into the air.

"Take that you! Eh?" Sealsdramon cheered as Musyamon quickly brought his left arm up before dropping his elbow into his gut.

"Don't forget who you are fighting, boy!" Musyamon yelled as he stood to his feet and resumed a fighting stance.

----------------

**Digimon World, DigiCentral, **

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

"You selfish little brat!" Tommy spat.

"Shut up." Riku muttered as he slowly stood up after being thrown to the ground moments ago.

"What is wrong with you! Always worried about yourself and only yourself!"

"I said shut up!" Riku yelled as he charged at Tommy once more. Tommy was ready though and after a small grappling session had Riku pinned to the ground once more.

"No, you shut up! Why don't you think of others for a change?" Tommy yelled as he pressed his knee into Riku's gut as he held his friends hands to the dirt with his own.

"I don't need anyone else!" Riku shot back. Riku brought his head forward and headbutted Tommy squarely. The two heads went flying back and a load mumbling and whining came from the two boys as they rubbed their foreheads in pain.

"We don't have time for this! We--"

Tommy's words were cut off by a loud, frightening, and utterly horrific noise from where Taiki and Ayumi were. Both boys stood stiff as they heard the familiar female voice call out their names. They looked at one another for a moment before scrambling to their feet.

"SANGLOUPMON!" Riku yelled.

"SEALSDRAMON! AYUMI NEEDS OUR HELP!" Tommy cried out to his partner.

"Wha!" Sealsdramon murmured as he parried another blow from Sangloupmon.

"What?" Sangloupmon said with the same confusion as Sealsdramon, they too exchanged glances before nodding and turning towards Musyamon who was slowing down by this point.

"We don't have time to play with you anymore, Death Behind." Sealsdramon yelled as he charged Musyamon.

"Stickler Blade!" Sangloupmon leapt into the air and proceeded to cover Sealsdramon's advance by raining blades down on Musyamon.

The samurai champion, exhausted and beaten in the prolonged battle with the seemingly endless energy and power of the two champions before him resigned himself to his defeat and with a final lasting blow from Sealsdramon, Musyamon fell into the digital graveyard.

-------------

**Digimon World, DigiCentral, Jijimon's hut**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"Falcomon!" Ayumi attempted to wake her companion who had fought as well as he could but his power paled in the face of the ninja champion, Ninjamon.

"Well then, I guess I'll take your friend and his partner now." Ninjamon said with glee as he hopped over to the shack and moments later returned with a sleeping Taiki over his shoulder, and Kudamon under his other arm.

"Leave him alone!" Ayumi cried out to Ninjamon.

"Um, no, I think not. The Lord of the South is paying one Digicore for bringing one of the humans to him! That is too high a prize to pass up!" Ninja chuckled to himself as he walked over to Ayumi. "Don't worry though, I'll be taking you with him!"

"Ayumi!"

Ninjamon and Ayumi turned to see Tommy and Riku emerge from the jungle with Sangloupmon and Sealsdramon. The two champions instantly rushed forward to protect Ayumi.

"Taiki!" Tommy yelled at the sight of his friend being abducted.

"Damn, looks like I have to settle for just one!" Ninjamon leapt backwards and then began retreating into the jungle.

"We have to go after him!" Ayumi commanded.

"Lets go Tom--" Riku stuttered as he stumbled forward, Sangloupmon showing the same signs of fatigue.

"Riku?" Ayumi ran over to Riku and caught him as he crumbled to the ground, his champion partner reverting to his rookie form. Ayumi shook Riku and tried to wake him as Tommy and Sealsdramon dropped to the ground in a similar fashion.

"Tommy? Not you too!" Ayumi put Riku down and hustled over to Tommy, checking him and finding that he, along with Riku, were now drained of their strength like Taiki had been after Kudamon digivolved.

"Ayumi…" Falcomon muttered as he started to wake up from his slumber. He looked about him and then to Ayumi for answers.

"Tommy and Riku passed out just like Taiki did, and Ninjamon took Taiki!" Ayumi put her face in her hands as she struggled with what to do next.

"We have to go after Ninjamon, Ayumi!" Falcomon said as he hurried over to his partner.

"But what about Tommy and Commandramon? Riku and Dracmon?"

"We should put them in Jijimon's hut and then chase after Ninjamon!" Falcomon chirped with gusto.

For Ayumi she wasn't sure, she looked to her friends and then off in the direction of the kidnapped Taiki and Kudamon. She couldn't abandon Riku, Tommy, Commandramon, and Dracmon. But she couldn't just leave Taiki and Kudamon to their fate either!

"My, my, what happened here?"

Ayumi and Falcomon turned to see a returning Jijimon with an assortment of items. Ayumi quickly ran over to the hermit digimon and, with great difficulty, told him what had occurred from her understanding. She pointed to her male counterparts and their partner.

"I don't know what to do, Jijimon!" Ayumi pleaded to Jijimon, seeking advice.

"Well, I'll take care of the two boys. You on the other should at least find out where they are taking your young friend." Jijimon then gave her a pat on the shoulder and shooed her away, despite her reluctance to leave Tommy and Riku in such a strange Digimon's hands.

But at this point, the cards were already in play and if she stayed too much longer then finding Taiki would be almost impossible and that was not something she could afford, at least the other two were in some sort of protection.

"Hurry along to the south, you should come across a large castle with a broken eastern section, that is said to be an abandoned fortress, taken by the bounty hunters. With luck, this Ninjamon will stop there to rest for a time."

"Alright…" Ayumi nodded slowly and then began jogging off.

"Hurry, Ayumi! We have to get their quickly!"

"You're right…you're right! Lets go Falcomon!" Ayumi cheered with a new determination to save her friends.

With a backwards glance towards Jijimon Ayumi began sprinting after Ninjamon. While Ayumi wasn't sure if she could bring Taiki and Kudamon back she was sure that she was the only one capable of it.

Like her father always said, _"If the boys can do it, so can you." _Ayumi pounded the phrase into his head as she chased after a scouting Falcomon, deep into the southern territories where the Lord of the Southern Kingdom resided, into what ever danger awaited the female Digidestined.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A/N: Okay, first I must apologize for the long wait, and for such a short chapter too. Secondly, I had a hard time with this one for several reasons: One was that I didn't want to drag out the fight between Tommy and Riku since I wanted to use their rivalry later. Secondly, this chapter didn't have the flair I had hoped it would have, and lastly, I seriously wanted to get to the next chapter so I could finally put the spot light on Ayumi, for several reasons of my own.

On that note, let me clear up a few things. One, my gender, is male, surprise! And two, I know some of you may not like the war theme, but if you think about it then you will see its not much different then the shows except that you had Good versus Evil in an undeclared realm of fighting, whereas in my story you have four digimon openly fighting for the sake of the digital world. But, anyway, you are the reader and you have you opinions and I respect them.

So anyway, sorry for the short chapter and if it isn't as interesting as the next. The next chapter and the next should be fairly interesting, with new POV's too! So continue to read and review please!

-Arc.


	8. The Siege of Kassel!

Chapter 7: The Siege of Kassel!

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"Falcomon! Where are you!" Ayumi yelled as she fought her way through yet another maze of bushes. Her partner had since left to search out the origins of this bounty hunter castle. The two had traveled fast but on their way had since met a few scattered digimon residents that gave them better directions and information on the fortress.

The castle, Kassel as it was called, was once a massive single stone that was carved into a castle in the very early stages of the war by the Eastern Army, the forces of Azulongmon. The fortress stood as a buffer between the East and the South and for a long time the castle was unconquerable until Zhuqiaomon decided to just go above it and began focusing more on an aerial invasion then a ground force. This lead the castle to be abandoned to defend the inner lands. It turned out later that Zhuqiaomon had hoped this would happen and had hired a band of free lance digimon to take control of the fortress when it was completely abandoned.

Kassel had since been a strong point for the mercenaries who were paid by Zhuqiaomon to harass the East while hunting down any rumor of humans appearing in the digital world. The price for one child was extreme; a digicore. This prize made hundreds of digimon flock to Kassel and today the fortress is staffed by a small army and has been a regular thorn in the side of the East ever since.

With this in mind Falcomon went ahead to find the castle, saying it would be easier to find in the air then on foot. That was an hour ago and Ayumi was started to get worried about her partner who had shown no sight of himself since their separation

"Ayumi!" A cheery voice rang out from above.

"Falcomon!" The female could not help but to be relieved at the sight of her returning partner. Falcomon landed and was instantly embraced by her human partner.

"Squeezing…too hard…gah!" Falcomon gurgled as he was tightly held.

"Oh, sorry about that." Ayumi laughed softly before returning to business, "So, find it?"

Falcomon nodded as he caught his breath and pointed directly ahead. Falcomon sprang into the air and flew forward, with Ayumi directly on his trail as they worked their way through the last of the central jungles. They came out on a plateau where the jungle abruptly ended and nose dived into a deep canyon. The canyon had a great river running through it, powerfully pulling anything that fell into it towards the ocean. It was deep and had only one land crossing, a large pass with the fortress of Kassel directly in the middle of it, its walls reaching from one side of the land bridge to the other, effectively stopping it from being surrounded and from any getting to the other side without going through the castle itself.

The two rescuers stood in awe of the massive structure, it had three levels above the base and could easily match the height of a small skyscraper of the human world. The most interesting thing about it was the way it was shaped, the further up to got the more narrow it became, unlike a medieval castle witch had a normally flat and wide roof, this one rose up into a single tower with a flag based on it The castle looked to be made of the purest marble and was completely white, a great contrast to the kind digimon inside.

"This will be rough…" Ayumi muttered sadly.

"Look at all the digimon, there are hundreds of them!" Falcomon cried in fear, "How are we going to get by them?"

"I don't know…" Ayumi sighed as she sat down on her knees and looked at the castle dumbly. From this view not only did it look too large to be tackled but she knew that once inside she had even less chance of going around unnoticed to find Taiki.

"Ayumi…what if I told you I had an idea?" Falcomon muttered meekly.

"What idea is that?" Ayumi asked as Falcomon fluttered over and began revealing his plan to her.

--------------------

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory, Kassel Dungeons**

_**POV: Kudamon**_

"Eh, smelly, what's that? Ewww…don't wanna know." A talkative Kudamon bantered on as he ran circles around in his small cage. He had awoken shortly after Ninjamon had dumped both him and Taiki in separate cells. Kudamon had since spent his time amusing himself while thinking of a plan to escape.

He had already assumed that he would need Taiki awake incase a fight broke out and he needed to digivolve again. So he spent his time smelling things, trying to learn where they were. He knew they were near the kitchen and probably close to the ground since a lot of dirt was around the place.

"Uhh…" A groggy Taiki groaned as he started to come around.

"Taiki! Taiki! Yes, yes!" Kudamon cheered as he ran towards his partner to give him a hug but slammed into the cage bars, forgetting they were there and fell to the ground, x's in his eyes.

"Kuda..mon?" Taiki mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"We must escape! Find friends and go!" Kudamon chattered quickly.

"What are we doing here?"

"Kidnapped, me thinks." Kudamon summed up in an instant.

The two looked around them to find that they were the only prisoners and though both were not sure of why or how they came into this situation they were plenty sure they weren't going to wait and find out. So they tried rocking their cages, ramming against them, and anything else their mind came up with.

"This sucks! This is just like the time I was grounded for two weeks! I can't take being inside that long!" Taiki moaned loudly.

"Keep chin up! We will win!" Kudamon said to his partner to cheer him up. With a nod from Taiki they started to brainstorm once more.

------------

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory, Kassel **

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

_This is stupid…I mean how could they fall for something so easy as …that?" _Ayumi's jaw dropped as she peeked from her hiding place at the mass stampede of digimon that surged from the castle grounds. They were of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and all were rough looking to be nice.

_No way! Are they really that dumb and greedy? _She couldn't believe that Falcomon's plan worked. It was so simple that she was sure it would fail. Falcomon had proposed to go over to the castle grounds and proclaim that he spotted a human running into the jungle and like idiots the bounty hunters went running off after the fake human. It was really pretty sad.

"Ayumi, now!" Falcomon mouthed as he waved towards the castle. Ayumi then crawled out from under an slightly uprooted tree and made a mad dash for the castle gates which were left wide open for Ayumi and Falcomon to waltz right in and attempt a rescue of Taiki and Kudamon.

"I can't believe it worked, "Ayumi muttered again as she ran towards the castle keep, "Where do you think Taiki and Kudamon would be?" Ayumi asked herself.

"I asked around before I made my speech, they should be on the base level towards the north end." Falcomon proudly informed his partner.

"You're awesome Falcomon!"

"I get it from you, Ayumi!"

Ayumi and Falcomon laughed for a minute then instantly stopped themselves when they remembered their situation. Without another word they dashed into the castle keep and down its many winding corridors to rescue their lost friends.

---------------

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory, Kassel **

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

"This is so retarded! Let me out!" Taiki whined loudly as he rocked the hanging cage he was in back and forth. For Taiki, to be locked inside was the worst kind of treatment you could give him. While with his grandfather Taiki often spent half the week camping outside, since it was the perfered place to be with his grandfather.

But to be locked up in a cage like a poor animal was about all Taiki could take and he was slowly on the verge of going nuts. His cage rocked back and forth until Taiki felt something furry on his shoulder and he froze up with fear.

"Taiki, I got out." Kudamon whispered in his partners ear.

"What! How?"

"Well… I can fit through the bars." Kudamon sneered.

"And you didn't do this earlier?"

"Nope, thought I was too fat. Hehehehe."

"Kudamon…" Taiki sighed sadly but quickly had his rookie partner out of his cage and looking about for a key, lever, or anything that might free them. The ferret digimon zoomed here and there, up and down, and everywhere in between to find such a device that might free them.

"Keys!" Kudamon exclaimed as he returned with ring of keys.

"Great! Where did you get them?" Taiki asked, surprised.

"Some guard was sleeping, hehehe, stupid!"

"Wow…and all the ruckus we were making and he didn't wake up? Sad." Taiki took the keys from his partner and undid the lock after going through the false keys. When let loose Taiki and Kudamon slowly tip-toed to the doorway and peeked to the left, spotting the guard he was sleeping on the floor next to the entrance, a Tsukaimon, or black Patamon.

Sneeking down the corridor in the opposite direction lead them to a fleet of stairs rising up to the second level of the castle. Not wanting to risk running into that guard the two started climbing the stairs, in hopes of finding a way out.

"Where are you going?"

Kudamon and Taiki turned suddenly to see Ninjamon standing at the bottom of the stairs. He gave them a look of irritation and his hand went straight for his sword.

"Who are you?" Taiki demanded.

"I'm the one that is going to turn you in for a digicore. So don't resist and just give up." Ninjamon snapped back.

"Where friends? Where?" Kudamon barked as he rushed up to Taiki's head and put up his small dukes.

"Not here, so don't think they'll come for you!" Ninja drew his sword and charged.

"Hold on Kudamon!" Taiki turned on his and scrambled up the stairs, hoping to get to a wider space in which to fight this evil kidnapper.

Up the stairs and straight ahead lead to the second level and into a great lobby. Taiki slammed on his brakes and fell on his stomach at the sight of dozens of digimon, rookie and champion alike, turned to face him.

"Human!"

"The bounty is mine!"

"You stay away from my prize!"

In what had been a strange silence was now a free-for-all in which the winner would, supposedly, claim Taiki. Fireballs, lightning bolts, vines, boulders, punches and kicks, random attacks were flying everywhere! The whole room had become a war zone, or perhaps a panic room.

"I got you now!" Ninjamon said as he erupted from the stairs and had his blade raised should Taiki try to run.

"You keep your mitts off!"

"Wha? OUF!" Ninjamon barreled forward as two very familiar friends of Taiki tackled the small champion.

"Ayumi, Falcomon!" Taiki beamed at the sight of his friends and ran over to help them to their feet.

"You idiot!" Ayumi yelled as she bopped him on the head, "You are useless! Going to sleep and just letting yourself be captured, I have to do everything around here!"

"I…uh…well…he…uh…sorry.." Taiki mumbled as he normally would when Ayumi was scolding him.

"Ayumi, we need to focus." Falcomon pointed to an angry Ninjamon who was not in the mood for any kind of surprises.

"I'll talk to you later, Taiki!" Ayumi fumed as she turned her attention to the battle at hand.

"Right…Kudamon!" Taiki called, regaining his composure.

_This isn't good…we can't escape from all of these guys. We need a distraction…_

"Iga-Style, sword draw!" Ninjamon plunged forward towards Ayumi with his sword flashing from his sheath to strike her down.

"Exceeding Light Dash!" Kudamon turned into a blur of speed and collided into Ninjamon's right side. The Champion was thrown into a messy wrestling match between four other bounty hunters who had no qualms with pummeling him as well.

"Come on Ayumi! Falcomon, Kudamon, run!" Taiki waved towards the stairs to the third level, it being the only safe path devoid of enemy digimon.

The four made a beeline for the entranceway, hoping to make it before someone spotted them.

"The humans are getting away!" Ninjamon yelled, frantic now to just capture them and worry about the bounty later. This cry silenced the entire room and all eyes turned to the two humans and their digimon partners.

"….Taiki…" Ayumi mumbled to him, as if he would know what to do.

"….Ayumi…" Taiki mumbled back.

" Not good.." Falcomon commented.

"Run fast!" Kudamon screeched as it blasted across the other half of the room, Taiki, Ayumi, and Falcomon following instantly. The four came within four yards of the stairwell before being cut off by a dozen bounty hunters, soon after that the group was completely surrounded.

"You aren't going anywhere!"

"Capture the humans!"

"We want the bounty!"

The cries echoed through the castle as they slowly came forward, tightening the circle around the four heroes. Ayumi and Taiki stood back to back with their Digimon holding defensive positions to protect them.

From the group erupted Ninjamon, in a fury.

"This time there is no mercy!" Ninjamon raised his sword, "Ready! Cha--"

At that moment Taiki might have imagined Tommy and Riku come to the rescue, or some mystery person might come to save the day like a karate master or something. But instead of a super hero coming to the rescue they got something far worse.

Suddenly a bright yellow light filled the room and all turned to the left to greet the entrance of a massive fireball as it exploded on the wall just above the lobby area, any lower and it would have went right in an incinerated everyone in the room. After the attack one of the bounty hunters ran to the edge to see where the attack came from. With a shocked expression he turned to his allies.

"It's the Eastern Army!"

"What? Who is leading them!"

"The flag…it's the DRAGON'S CHAMPION!"

"Everyone to the walls! We have to defend the castle and prepare for battle!"

Again a scramble occurred as the bounty hunters poured to the lower levels to meet the enemy out on the field as new fireballs appeared in the sky and cascaded down on the castle. The explosions from the barrage shook the castle violently and many digimon stumbled to the ground, Taiki also being among the fools.

"Come on Taiki! We have to go!" Ayumi began running towards the stairs to the base just as the roof above it took another fire ball and crumbled to the ground, blocking the path.

"WHY! DARN IT!" Ayumi cursed as she ran towards the balcony, to see if they could climb down.

Taiki watched her go out and stand frozen. After a moment the curious boy followed and meet the sight of the Eastern Army.

"Whoa…" Taiki murmured.

The sight was worthy of awe. Below them was at least fifteen-hundred digimon, in rank and formation standing just before the land bridge. From the looks of things from here it appeared that large dinosaurs were launching fireballs towards the castle.

"Taiki we need to move." Ayumi mentioned as she started to back up, worried about their escape.

"What?" Taiki muttered as he stared at the bounty hunters below as they streamed out of the castle below. As Taiki continued to look down the ground underneath him began to give way, the boy looked around himself in a panic as he began to plummet down with the ground underneath him.

"TAIKI!" Ayumi dashed forward, grabbed the boys arms and pulled him forward. Taiki was pulled out of the air and unto the balcony as more of the ground crumbled, this time under Ayumi's feet. But this time, no one was there to save her and she had no choice but to fall towards the ground below.

-------------------

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory, Kassel **

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

As Ayumi passed from Taiki's sight he dove towards the ground and stared at his falling friend. As if spurred some unknown force Falcomon dove off the side of the building and raced towards the falling girl.

"Ayumi!" Falcomon cried out.

_So this is how it ends huh? Stupid boys, always getting in trouble. I just wanted to show them that I could do anything they can do better. I just wanted to show them that…_

A pulse was felt in the air, a small and almost invisible feeling that pulsated through the air. But as the force passed over Falcomon he felt a instantly switch turn on inside of him and he began to glow and change.

"Ayumi!"

As Ayumi plummeted she couldn't help but be reminded of her father who was everything to her. Her father was a retired pilot and for the earlier parts of her life she had traveled a lot with him since she was too young to stay with her brothers.

At this time something her father said rang out in her mind. One day she had asked him why he loved flying so much and he laughed at her before picking her up and putting her in his lap and saying, _"Because, no matter how far you fall you can always fly back up into the sky. If there was anything I've learned from flying is that no matter how fast you plummet, as long as you have your wings you can fly."_

_Can I fly Daddy? _Ayumi looked up at her partner as he dove to reach her and she smiled. _See I can, cause I have Falcomon with me…my wings. _She reached out to her partner and for an instant her hand grazed his wing. And the small pulsation became a powerful current, bursting into the sky.

_We can fly, Falcomon._

"Then lets fly." Falcomon answered, "Falcomon Digivolve to…Peckmon!"

Ayumi felt the air still and then push against her again, rising. She opened her eyes after the light subsided and say she was on the back of ostrich-like Digimon wearing black leather under purple cloth. A yellow ribbon tied around its slender neck. Its hair and tail were red, its feathers yellow and its eyes greenish blue. It was running up the side of the building towards Taiki and Kudamon.

"Once we pick up Taiki and Kudamon we'll fly out of here, Ayumi!" Peckmon said as he ran up the wall to the balcony where he stood up tall, as if posing for a photo shoot.'

"Wow… you're so cool!" Taiki said as he ran towards Ayumi's new partner.

"I'm Peckmon, Falcomon's champion form, a vaccine type. Get on my back Taiki so we can get out of here before this battle gets too rough." He stated as he bent down and let Taiki on his back behind Ayumi, Kudamon around Taiki's neck.

The four took one final look towards the battle about to take place before jumping high into the air and gliding towards the jungles where they would travel to Jijimon's hut to retrieve Riku and Tommy.

As they made their way back Ayumi sighed contently; her dad was right it seemed. She had found her wings in Falcomon. Needless to say, she was pretty proud of herself.

--------------

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory, Kassel **

_**POV: Shingen Takeda**_

"Greymon!" A powerful and clear voice rang out. He stood on a small hill in front of a line of Greymon.

"Aim! Castle gate! Fire!" He waved his hand forward and the Greymon unleashed their attacks, Nova Blast, and another volley of fireballs descended on the castle's front gate.

"Commander, the enemy is forming in front of the castle to engage us. We need orders." An Agumon reported to him.

"Send all three battalions forward, rectangle formation, ten digimon deep. Do not block off the land bridge, I want them to come to us." He stated quickly.

"Yes, sir!" He turned on his heels and ran to relay the orders. The boy stood watching the army begin to re-organize and move forward to complete his orders.

His name was Shingen Takeda, ten years old, and commander of the first three mixed battalions of the East. The mixed battalions were a diverse group of volunteers, winged dragons and their wingless brothers, angels, and sea digimon that could traverse on the ground. All of them rallied at his call and in effect they were loyal only to him.

He was dressed in partial sixteenth century style Samurai armor, he wore a gray leather cuirass, and boots. Under the cuirass was a long sleeve white shirt, with the Takeda symbol on both sleeves , four black diamonds in a diamond formation, with a matching pair of karate pants to go with it, tied with a black karate belt. In his right hand he held a flagstaff, showing the symbol of the Takeda family as well.

At his side was a small digimon dressed completely in a black and red Hakama (kendo uniform) with silver fishnet sleeves and twin drill horns on his helmet. Only his feet could be seen, showing to be reptile feet, the sleeves of his outfit are far longer then his arms, and his face was completely hidden behind his mask so that only his yellow eyes could be seen. In his right hand he held a shinai (Kendo Training sword).

"It looks like they are going to fight." The reptile digimon stated.

"Yes, Kotemon, so it seems." Shingen replied.

The bounty hunters arranged themselves in something resembling a formation and began slowly marching towards the front lines of the Eastern Army. Shingen raised his left hand into the air, attracting the attention of the Greymon behind him.

"Aim, enemy front ranks," Shingen waited until the army came forward more….more…..," Fire!" He waved his hand forward again and the fireballs were launched and the enemy army charged in response to the attack.

"Fire at will!" He commanded instantly as he stabbed his flag in the ground beside him before reaching to his left, where a Katana and closed war fan was kept. He pulled the iron fan and flicked it up before motioning to the right and then to the left before waving downward towards the enemy ranks. This signaled the right and left flanks to move forward.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Kotemon asked.

"Of course, they'll charge forward like idiots to meet us. While some will stay to fight the flanks many will try to fight their way through the center to escape and when they do…" Shingen snapped his fan shut sharply, "They lose."

"Cunning as always, sir." Kotemon remarked formally.

Shingen didn't answer, there was no need. The two, though partners, never talked more then they needed too. There relationship was not so much partners as of a Daimyo (Japanese Warlord) and a retainer. Even Kotemon himself stated that he didn't care to do anything more to protect, and so he did.

As Shingen watched the battle begin to unfold he felt a stirring in his heart, a grip enclose him. Many digimon were going to be deleted today. So silently he gave a pray, for he knew that this was needed in order to protect the East. His new home.

Seeing the bounty hunters dive towards the center like he thought, Shingen flicked his fan open again and waved to the right and left and then make a sweeping motion, once to the left and then the right. The flanks then began to turn towards the center and surround the bounty hunters.

Shingen then raised his fan once more, high into the air, signaling the main center force and pointed straight out while shouting, "All forces, attack!"

And they gave answer to his cry, with all of the digimon below him crying out in unison the name of their leader.

The Dragon's Champion.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

N/A: Christ, I did this fast. You see what I can do when I'm really interested? Well anyway, the next chapter will defiantly be slower then this one. I probably owe this chapter being down to the weekend and with the weekend…..errr…ending, I won't have as much time to work on the next one.

But anyway, surprise! Two new POV's, Kudamon's and Shingen's. I know some of you may be disappointed that Ayumi wasn't as shining as you thought she would be, but not everyone is destined to fight a life and death battle to attain glory.

Alrighty! Get ready now for the thick of the story as we start to expand the view of the world from all for corners. In the next chapter we will have two new POV's at least, possible three. Be ready because the next chapter is the end of the first pages of this story and the beginning of the real stuff.

I have to thank Wen-san, for despite my nagging, for helping me proof my stories so I get rid of some of the stuff I miss. And thanks to all my reviewers I really appreciate your support!

Oh, and Kudamon's langauge is not always proper, so its not an error on my part if he talks a bit funny. Just an FYI.

So enjoy and review, and forgive my for my errors.

-Arc.


	9. New Faces and a Harsh Reality

Chapter 8: New Faces and a Harsh Reality

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digimon World, Southeastern Territory, Kassel**

_**POV: Emi Hamano**_

She watched him raise his fan and point out the attack, she saw the volley of fire rain down on the bounty hunters below and the fountain of data that erupted from the barrage. She saw him motion his troops into formation. She watched quietly and without disturbing him.

"Fire at will!"

She flinched. Despite the fact that they had been in this world for almost half a month now she still wasn't used to it. She wasn't like him, like Shingen. She was not as strong as him…no one was as strong as him in her eyes.

But then again, how could anyone be like Shingen? Shingen Takeda, named after the legendary warlord, the Tiger of Kai, the one that lead the Takeda clan to almost absolute dominance until he was defeated by the only force that is unconquerable, death.

She watched him, as he gave the order for a full out attack, his forces surrounding the enemy, his troops crying out his name in answer to his call. She shivered at the power she felt in his voice and trembled from the response of his army.

She was Emi Hamano, a girl born into the high classes, the new money, of Japanese aristocracy. Her father was a large corporate owner of one of the largest publishing offices, with products ranging from manga to epic novels.

She wore a dark blue blouse, with a white short skirt over a pair of blue jeans. With a pair of sandals on her feet and her long bright blonde hair done in a ponytail, tied at the middle and just before the end of her hair. Her eyes were an emerald green and her body had a petite form. Her skin was a shade or two lighter than dark and had a very gentle look about her. She was often complemented by the other girls as being a beautiful budding flower, she guessed it was a compliment.

She stood behind him, three feet from him and his sole retainer, Kotemon. As she watched the battle continue she began to wonder why she was even here. She seemed so out of place.

Oh, yes, that's right. She belonged to him. When she was young her father and Shingen's set them up to be married when of age. Shingen's family were the descendents of the Takeda line and Shingen himself the heir to a large amount of land and cultural power, thus a grand match for the daughter of a fledging businessman like her father.

She remembered that this kind of thing happened a lot to her; she was always being brought to suitors homes, meeting boys and their fathers. All of those boys disgusted her. Self-righteous, ignorant, spoiled, and just plain rude. She hated them all and flatly turned down every single one. Until Shingen that is, when her father put his foot down and arranged, the marriage without her consent, she and her father had never been on good terms since.

Following the arrangement she recalled that Shingen was transferred to the school she went to, to keep them close and to hopefully allow them to build a friendly relationship. When he first came into class she glared daggers at him, he was cute enough no doubt, but she knew his kind. She was not going to lie down and become his trophy to be shown off.

She avoided him like the plague and did so with great satisfaction, knowing that she was outsmarting the spoiled boy. Or so she thought. One day she was talking to an upper classmen, Michiko, and the subject of Shingen arose. Emi told her that she simply avoided him but was surprised to find out that the boy had never once even tried to contact her, never even asked about her.

In a rage she stomped to find him, feeling that he was avoiding her now simply to prove that she was beneath him. She laughed now, remembering her childish anger. She found him in class, it had been his turn to clean up the room after school. She stomped over to him and began ranting, telling him how much she despised him and resented the fact that she had to marry him, all the while he kept completely silent.

When she finished and was catching her breath he spoke and to this very day, two years later, she remembered his words.

"_If you hate me so much then I will stay as far away from you as possible. I would not want you to be unhappy because of me. But, considering our arrangement, we should try to get along."_

How silly it sounded now, such a simple thing. But she didn't stay away from him, she couldn't after that day. He respected her, listened to her, and looked at her. They spent the entire hour of Shingen's cleaning talking to each other. Of all the men she had met in her life she put him above all of them, even her own father.

"Shingen…" Kotemon muttered loudly.

Emi was torn from her thoughts as a lone digimon broke through Shingen's army and made a dash for the Dragon's Champion. It was a Ninjamon, worn and battered, but still willing and able to fight. It moved with amazing speed and the girl made ready to move.

She didn't need to.

He cut the air with his fan and suddenly his presence magnified, became thick enough to choke on. His partner, Kotemon, stepped forward and embraced the power and a golden light took his being as Ninjamon reached Shingen at a frightening speed.

"Kotemon digivolve to….Dinohyumon!"

"Ugh!" Ninjamon cried as he was batted away by a newly digivoled champion. He was a human reptile of dark skinned arms, and light skinned chest. He wore a pair of brown pants, with a massive sword strapped to his back, a necklace of teeth around his neck and an Indian headband with a feather around his head. In both hands he held small daggers, easily swords in a humans hands. The champion stood to his full height, almost six feet and stared down at the attacking bounty hunter.

"Curse you! Iga-Sword Draw!" Ninja lashed back in a fury.

"Lizard Dance." Dinohyuman moved forward as two images of him appeared, making three altogether. Emi knew the attack well, two were false and one was real, but to the person being attacked they did not know that. She watched Ninjamon look around himself helplessly as the three images attacked, one being true, and deleting the wary assassin cleanly. He must have been far too tired if it took only one strike to finish him.

"Emi." Shingen's voice drew her attention.

"Yes?"

"Watch the main camp. We are going to breach the castle now."

"Okay. Good luck." She responded as she looked to her partner digimon, a Salamon, and nodded to it.

She watched him sprint down to the front lines to help with the battle as it turned more in their favor as the enemy broke and tried to escape.

Shingen was, as his teachers called him, a genius among genius' . He was two grades ahead of his years and during the summer he attended a military school where they called him the next great military mind of history. It was only ironic that once they landed in his world, through a game, though they knew very much that this was no game and Shingen did not treat it as such, that was presented to him a two weeks ago. He meet Azulongmon and after helping win many victories against the South and West he had gained fame and using that he raised an army of his own.

But there was more to him then just what you saw on the outside. There was something about him that she just couldn't place. Something vast and grand beyond what the eye could see. It was that something that after a while she began to believe she might just be happy with this marriage after all, a destiny perhaps. He was just…so different.

"Look Emi! They are in the castle!" Salamon barked. Emi smiled at her partner, after creating her she didn't know how she ever got along without her! She was just like a sister she never had.

Salamon was like her in most ways, quiet, timid, and very subdued, thanks to her father who constantly told her that she needed to be this way, or that way, to be successful and be a good wife. She believed him, of course, because at the time she was too young to realize why he wanted her that way. But it was too late now, and Salamon and her were just very pretty flowers, that could easily be pushed around. She tried to assert herself more everyday though, and she was making progress.

She turned to look up as part of the army surged into the castle, though there didn't seem to be any fighting going on. From what she could tell they, the bounty hunters, seemed to have given up now and Shingen's army was free to take the castle. She smiled and ran down to the front lines, a path opening for her when the army noticed her, they respected her because of Shingen, she knew this and accepted it.

"Look!" A few cried, prompted Emi to look up with the entire army.

At the very top, on the highest tower of the castle, Shingen emerged. He looked around and then he removed the flagstaff that had been kept there and placed his own in its place. He turned to his army, left hand on the pole and the right pulling out his sword, a family katana passed down for generations.

"Today we have driven out a great enemy! Today we have reclaimed everything that was lost! Today, the East is whole!" He cried, thrusting his blade into the midday sky. It was short but carried a great weight, the East had been butchered by the South and West until Shingen began to turn the tide. To the men around her, it meant a vast deal.

The cheer that arose was defeaning. Emi and Salamon were completely lost in the uproar. She looked around herself and smiled. He was their leader, their commander, their father, their savior. Looking up at him on the top of that castle, it was as if the entire world revolved around him and the world could only bow under his gaze. Up there, where he seemed larger then life itself….how could she not adore him? How could she not love something as grand as what she saw on the top of that castle?

Yes, she hated most men; they were pigs, brutes, and jerks beyond measure. But that man, that man whom had the love of all those around him without asking for it, was something more. Once in a thousand years there is an Alexander the Great, true, but only once in a million years was there a Shingen Takeda like hers.

And as she was consumed by the cheers around her she only smiled up at him. He really was something else…

-----------------

**Digimon World, Western Territories, the Iron Village**

_**POV: Kaito Akimoto **_

_Left, right, left, right, left, left, right, forward kick!_

He punched the air rapidly and accurately, his right foot lashing out suddenly at the very end. The boy fell into the movements easily and with little thought, it was second nature to him. He was a fighter after all, a fighter of a kind anyway.

"You're getting better, Kaito." A small digimon said behind him.

"Yeah, but not good enough Gaomon." Kaito replied as he went back to his routine.

Kaito Akimoto, ten years old. He was a fiery youth and the best of his martial arts and boxing classes. He looked to be a roughed up boy who got into one too many fights. Loose dark cargo pants torn at the ankles, a sleeveless black tee with an open blue jean jacket over it, torn at the wrists as well. His rough hands were wrapped for grip and his feet were wrapped as well and barefoot. He was taller then most and darker too, and a good deal more lean as well. His face was powerfully set, with striking eyes that always seemed to be focusing on something, though it only enhanced the brown eyes that he had. His hair was auburn and with the bangs hanging down except to the right where his hair was messed up, and often stood up in the front slightly.

His partner, Gaomon, was a dog standing on two feet. Blue fur with white paws and black claws. He had golden eyes and red boxing gloves and a red bandanna around his head. He stood at roughly three feet.

They were in, quite simply, a crude but large iron village, the capital of the West. It was called the Iron Village but was easily the size of a small city by now. Small and tall crudely made buildings of iron, factories scattered about, and armaments readied on the massive walls surrounding the city made the city a real fortress to those who lived on the inside. But despite the rather dismal look it was a bustling metropolis where active trading of food, items, and the basic needs of a digimon, which were rather unique, could be obtained by bartering or paying with bits, small fragments of destroyed digimon that could be collected and use as currency.

The two stood in the middle of the only green area of the city, a small plaza in front of the tallest and most majestic building in the city where the Metal and Beast God, Baihumon resided. It was small and populated with a ring of trees in the square park, a symbol that though they were in a village of metal they were also protectors of the land.

Kaito finished his last set of exercises and drew in a large breath and exhaled before turning to his partner, Gaomon, and nodded, knowing they were to meet the Western Lord to discuss what was to be done next in the war on the three other lords.

They headed north, towards the palace, and ascended the stairs into the great hall where a great number of beasts were buzzing about. Kaito remembered that the third metal battalion had been recalled for some reason, possibly due to the job Kaito was to receive. Down the hall and through the massive doors that were guarded by four Gargomon and he came to the chambers of Lord Baihumon, standing in all his magnificent glory.

Baihumon was a massive white tiger with blue stripes, metal bracelets on his back legs, and tail, and metal guards on his front legs with a symbol on each. He wore a mask of blue metal and held some sort of object in his mouth, which spiked backwards interestingly. His mane was white and around his neck floated a ring of golden digicores, which could give a digimon immense power if it was bestowed on them, it was rumored that this was how Rapidmon had become so strong.

"Akimoto, you are late!" The giant tiger roared.

"I was exercising, chill." Kaito remarked boringly.

"Do not disrespect me, boy!" Was the comeback.

"You know he doesn't mean it, Baihumon." Gaomon interrupted, not at all worried about stating his opinions.

Baihumon stomped his right foot into the ground, pounding the metal and leaving evidence of the creatures might. To this display not even Kaito could act his normally, aloof self. Kaito was quite simply, a nonchalant person. He just didn't get worked up over anything. A failed test? Big deal. A perfect score? Big deal. Even in fighting he had a certain amount of calmness to him that most would call negative, but while he had no passion for anything he did it could be said that he never got upset and lost his head about anything. He was a slowly melting ice cube, his mother had once said, he was cold but never cold enough to make you step away.

"Alright, alright, sheesh. I'm sorry, old man." Kaito mumbled as he put his hands behind his head and looked towards the ceiling.

"Hmph. Your assignment is simple, you are to take command of the third metal and investigate the rumor that Kassel had fallen to the Eastern forces. We need to know if Azulongmon is able to strike out of his own lands again on the ground, it is imperative that you return with the information as quickly as possible. To make things easier we had half of the third metal assigned to guard duty so that you could move easier and more quickly. Leave as soon as possible, understood Akimoto?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, find out if the gossips are lying or not. On it boss." Kaito said dumbly.

"I'll make sure we get it done, sir." Gaomon stated. Gaomon was, interestingly enough, the opposite of Kaito in that he was very passionate about his duties. This lead many people to believe that Kaito actually can take things seriously and must have focused much when he formed Gaomon, which resulted in the difference in the two.

Gaomon turned and began walking towards the exit, Kaito following him shortly. When they had left the palace and were alone they chattered briefly.

"You shouldn't push your luck, Kaito, you are going to get it one day." Gaomon warned.

"Bah, he's just a stiff. I know his kind." Kaito replied.

"Then why do you work for him?" Came the obvious question.

"Someone has to win this war and I just think that the old fart back there has the most chance of winning is all. I may not care who wins but I don't want to be on the losers side." Was the not so obvious, or clear, answer.

"Looking out for yourself? That's noble." Gaomon snapped.

"I don't care. I believe in egotism, caring only for what makes you happy and not worrying about what others think. I do what I want to do regardless of others." Was yet another not so expected answer.

"Hmm…," Gaomon stopped and turned to Kaito, "You aren't really who you act to be, are you?"

Kaito just smiled though and shrugged his shoulders. He walked by his partner, stopped, punched the air, and then started to jog towards the gate leading out of the city. As they made their way down a number of Gargomon, Gaurdromon, and other metal digimon joined them. By the end they had twenty, which showed that the third had taken considerable damage for this to be half of the battalion, said to be the most experienced before the first metal battalion.

With a wave of his hand the village gates were opened and they started East, to Kassel.

------------------------

**Digimon World, Northern Hemisphere.**

_**POV: Michiko Hasegawa**_

"This is awful. The forest is completely wasted." A small plant digimon, Lalamon, said sadly. She looked like a type of flower, or a budding flower, with a pink upper body with short stub like hands, and a green lower body with similar feet, compared to her hands. She had small black eyes and on her head was a yellow flower.

Next to her was a stunning young lady of eleven. She had shoulder length black hair, dark golden eyes, and a face that just seemed to be unnaturally endearing to look at. She wore a pair of khaki shorts that extended to the middle of her upper legs. She had a long sleeve white shirt, with the sleeves reaching to the middle of her palms. She had a necklace with a peace symbol around her neck and tie-dye book bag on her back. She wore tennis shoes with white tall socks, possible showing that she played some sports.

"Lalamon, we should get back. We don't want to be in the way when they start to replant the forest." The girl said dejectedly.

"Okay, Michiko." She responded to Michiko Hasegawa.

The small digimon floated over to Michiko and followed the silent female as she started towards the forest which not long ago a group of DarkTyranomon had attacked and burnt, before Apemon and some help came and intervened.

The girls fists were tight and angry, her eyes blazing with passion. These were homes of countless digimon and SkullMeramon destroyed them without a thought! The idea of that digimon set her spirit on fire; oh how she cursed that evil general!

She had been in this world for only a week but already she had taken to helping the north and their peaceful people, she herself being a peaceful person except in self-defense. It was in her nature, in her family, in her very being.

Michiko was raised in a family of peace lovers, of conservatives, and anti-war protestors. Anything that was violent, hateful, racists, or other was look down on by Michiko and her family. They despised any kind of such evilness! And this, this blatant destruction was the worse her eyes had ever seen.

"Mark me words, Lalamon, we will see SkullMeramon beat." Michiko promised with her partner as a witness.

"I'll help as much as I can, Michiko!" Lalamon beamed with pride towards her partner. The plant digimon was not as spirited as her human companion but had no problems in following the convictions of Michiko into the very camp of SkullMeramon himself!

They traveled into the forest before a pounding was heard, making both digimon and human stop in their tracks, fear rising in their hearts.

"Peace child. It is only I." A elderly voice echoed.

"Oh! Ebonwumon!" Lalamon boomed.

"Grandfather?" Michiko asked, using the nickname she had given to the lord of the North, to respect how he protected the forests and all those inside his lands with great devotion, like a grandfather.

The Mega level digimon stepped into view and closed in on Michiko and looked at her fondly. His twin heads extended fully from his shell, from which a tall and full grown tree grew out of the top. He nodded to her approvingly and looked towards the scorched earth behind her and gave a wistful sigh. His golden skin had seemed to pale as of late, from stress, and even the digicores that hung from the limbs of the tree on his back seemed to lack a usual luster.

"Let us return and rest, we will decide on our next move after a much needed sleep." Ebonwumon said with his red eyes turned to Michiko. Oddly enough, the left head talked only when Ebonwumon was happy and the right when he was not so, a thing that only Michiko noticed.

"Okay, I'm a little tired anyway." Michiko agreed, though still very much upset.

"It will get better, Michiko! Just you watch!" Lalamon cheered to her friend.

"Lalamon is correct. We are not beat yet, not by a long shot." Ebonwumon proclaimed as he lead the two back into the forest, for a much needed rest.

----------------

**Digimon World, Jijimon's Hut**

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

"Taiki! Ayumi!" Riku bellowed as the returning pair, Taiki and Ayumi, returned.

"We were worried sick about you two!" Tommy called out as he ran to his friends as Peckmon returned to his rookie stage, leaving a tired but awake Ayumi and Falcomon in its place.

"Why didn't you pass out?" Taiki asked as he helped Ayumi sit down.

"Probably because I fought more then the rest of you before I digivolved." Falcomon muttered through his own fatigue.

"Well, good job getting Taiki and Kudamon back, Ayumi and Falcomon." Tommy praised as he sat down and looked to his best friend and gave him a smile.

So Ayumi began telling them the story of the storming of Kassel and how they were almost captured by the bounty hunters until a surprise attack by the Eastern Army gave them the window to escape, with a little help from a new champion companion.

"Awesome, Ayumi. Its cool that Peckmon can fly, that's a handy ability." Tommy stated.

"Yes, a very versatile ability indeed," Commandramon agreed, "I with I had that ability."

"Yeah, well, all of our digimon has some pretty cool abilities. Reppamon is the fastest thing alive!" Taiki beamed.

"Whooo! Speed!" Kudamon boomed.

"And Sangloupmon can meld into shadows by breaking down into his base data components." Riku nodded to his partner approvingly.

"Great for a sneak attack. Hehehe! Then chomp time!" Dracmon jeered.

"And Sealsdramon has the best fighting skills around!" Tommy finished.

The group then went into a small spurt of laughter, relieved at their fortune. The jungle around them seemed to echo their peacefulness and was silent, except for a small breeze that made the trees sway and the grass bend over towards the north. Jijimon's hut was in the distance and seemed to be a home, waiting for the weary heroes to return and rest.

"So what do we do now, guys?" Tommy asked.

"…..We need to make a choice now." Riku interjected with Dracmon floating over his shoulder.

All eyes turned to the bully with curiosity and looked at him with question.

"What's wrong?" Ayumi asked.

"Yeah? What is it?" Taiki added.

"You must have noticed it by now." Riku looked at them all harshly, " This place is not a game, you guys. Its real…"

No one responded. Didn't they already know? Two days in this world feeling pain, fear, joy, tired, and energized. The four dropped their heads slowly, no one had said it out loud and maybe they didn't know in the beginning, but they did know now…they could feel that this wasn't just a game. It was something far, far more then just a world on a CD.

"Everything about this world is just…too real. We need to decide on what to do now." Riku finished.

"Shouldn't we…go home?" Tommy mumbled.

"No.." Taiki mumbled, "We can't leave, this war is destroying this world. We have to help…we can't just leave."

"For once, I agree with Taiki." Riku said as he looked at the four digimon around them, they were silent and were only going to let the humans speak. "Its time we choose a side."

"Come on guys! Sure, for now its been easy but we can't just throw ourselves into this thing now that we accept what it is!" Tommy pleaded, now feeling the true burden of their destiny, with the truth being spoken aloud.

"We were brought here for a reason, it wasn't just luck….It had to be something greater." Ayumi whispered.

"But, we should--" Tommy began.

"I'm going south. From what I can tell, Zhuqiaomon has the best chances of winning this war. I'm going to help him." Riku interrupted with his declaration.

"I'm going north. I want to protect the forests there." Taiki said as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Right, Kudamon?"

"Yes." Was the answer.

"Wait a minute guys! We can't split up!" Tommy, trying to keep the team together, protested as he came to his feet.

"Tommy…you do what you feel you need too." Taiki told him.

"This isn't a game guys! We know this is real and we can't just go off on our own ways!" Tommy snapped.

"I'm going south too. For my own reasons." Ayumi came in suddenly, she looked to Falcomon and she nodded.

"Not you too Ayumi!" Tommy looked to the female with fear.

"Later, Draggers. I'll see you on the battlefield I guess." Riku said as he turned his back and began walking south, Ayumi quickly on his heels. He waved to Taiki as he left.

"Tommy…you always told me to stand up for something I believe in." Taiki said as he walked over to his friend, "And now I want too, I won't let what happened to my grandfathers land happen here."

"Taiki! You could get killed!" Tommy yelled, "Why don't we talk about this! Everyone is just turning away!"

"…Riku was right, we did know about this being real. We just didn't say it." Taiki looked down at the ground, "I guess…we made our decisions long before today."

Taiki hugged Tommy and turned to the north. He picked up Kudamon from the ground and began to trek in that direction leaving Tommy alone, abandoned. And without a proper goodbye!

He watched them…two toward the south and one to the north. He saw it in their eyes and their words. They knew the penalty if they failed and yet they still took the mantle, the title of a Digidestined on themselves. Tommy looked to the ground, he didn't want to believe that they, after going through so much, were now breaking apart…just like that.

_I can't believe this…Taiki and Ayumi just got back and now we are separating?_ Tommy closed his eyes and fisted his hands.

"Fine…you do what you guys have to do. I'll do what I have to do…" Tommy told himself as he turned to the West, and like his friends did, left. The Digidestined as a team was no more.

And the Wheel of Fate, where the threads spun began to take on an entirely new path. The world was about to witness a change. The scales were about to tip….for better or worse.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**A/N**: Okay! So first let me explain something very, very important. I normally wouldn't do this but I don't want anyone thinking of me as a weird person or such. In Emi's POV please take note that I do reliaze that she is only ten years old, in fact I am built her POV around the idea of a ten year olds concept of love. If anyone remembers those days, or are in those days, you may know that love then is very fleeting, and more so an infatuation then a love interest. I completely! Completely understand this, but there this child is a special case in that 1) Her idea of rich men (Or boys) is badly marred, excluding Shingen. 2) As you may have noticed, Shingen puts off a kind of majesty and awe-inspiring feeling, which would keep a girl interested, unlike a normal youth of ten that is worried only about sports or cooties (XP), and 3) The arrangement herself is a binding factor. Their relationship will be further explained as the story goes on, but I want to explain that I am aware of a ten year olds extent to love, so don't call me weird, I did this because I thought it would be interesting and to make another very different, yet interesting, character. So I hope you will understand and wait for all the facts before you jump to conclusions! Thanks for your patience.

On that note, what do you think of the three new characters! Hmm? I really want to know what you think of their potential and I will say that each child has at one point or another, contacted each of the others, and you will see the threads start to connect as the story goes on so look out for them! But, I would very much like to hear your thoughts on the new people in your reviews!

So, I'll shut up now, I'm very fond of this chapter and I hope you like it too! So Read and review please!

-Arc.


	10. The Beginning of a New Game

Chapter 9: The Beginning of a New Game

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digimon World, Eastern Territory, Kassel**

_**POV: Shingen Takeda**_

He closed the door behind him slowly and, to be honest, thankfully. He looked at the room that was given to him to be his quarters for the time being, probably the biggest and most spacious of what Kassel had to offer. He sighed and marched through the lavishly decorated, yet very worn, room to the bed on the far side of the room. He looked at it but decided that sleep was not something he wanted at this time and instead traveled to the left side of the room with a window that looked out towards the West.

Shingen pulled a chair up and stared out the window, ignoring the opening of his door, knowing it was Kotemon that had entered. The rookie came in and stood at attention, facing Shingen.

"You should be resting, Shingen." Kotemon advised.

"I don't feel like it." Shingen answered.

"A leader must be well rested, lest his emotions show on the outside." Kotemon again advised, closing the door behind him before walking over to his partner.

Shingen sighed and rubbed his head and stood, "I know, I know." Shingen muttered as he paced the room slowly.

"What is bothering you?" Kotemon asked, with the faintest sound of concern.

"Two weeks of endless battle… it seemed so much easier in theory."

Kotemon nodded. He knew better then most that Shingen was probably far too soft to be a leader, at least on a large scale. Up until this point Shingen had been using high speed tactics to try and overwhelm an enemy to make them rout and retreat, thus making the casualties minimal on both sides. It had been working brilliantly thus far but even so the burden weighed on the young child's mind. The death toll of hundreds was not something any child should have to carry.

The Samurai digimon also knew that the farther they pressed on, the more battles they won, the harder it would be to continue to fight these battles using the same tatics. The more famous Shingen became the more seriously the rest of the world would take him and bigger, stronger, and better lead armies would follow to confront him. In the end, the battles would become a colossal weight for the ten year old.

Kotemon moved towards the door, "I'll stand guard outside, you should try and get some sleep." The rookie, having given his advice, moved to the door and left. It was not his place to advise Shingen, he was only the retainer and bodyguard. Besides, he knew that Shingen would meet the challenge on the battlefield, because there he was faced with the possibility of losing all of his followers and that was unacceptable to the Takeda boy.

Shingen let out a large sigh before approaching his bed and collapsing into it. He buried his face in the sheets, which strangely enough were very human like. Shingen assumed that some things of the human word trickled into the digital world as well.

Again the door open and Shingen groaned, how many more people were going to bother him today? Couldn't they tell he was tired!?

"Shingen…"

Shingen turned unto his back and sat up abruptly. He looked at Emi as she crossed the room to a small table by the bed and look at the food disapprovingly. She then regarded him softly.

"When was the last time you ate?" She asked.

Shingen thought about it but just shook his head, causing Emi to shake her head as well. She sat on the bed next to him and examined the room around them as she spoke. Shingen looked away, knowing that he was distressing Emi. He seemed to be her chief concern these days and that too bothered him, he had so many people to care for…

"You always forget the simplest things. You get so wound up in your work that you forget to do silly things like eating." She murmured softly, trying to berate him but finding her voice didn't carry as well as Shingen's did when he was addressing his army.

Shingen listened like he always did when Emi spoke, with intense attention to her small voice. He nodded and gave a soft sorry before going silent again. He never really knew what to say to her at these times. She was right of course, she was always reminding him to eat, to get some sleep, or something that he had forgotten while working or doing his duties.

"Emi," Shingen said, making the girl look up at him, "Where would I be without you looking out for me?" He said honestly. He fell back on the bed and took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Emi turned a kind of light red and quickly looked away from Shingen, twiddling her fingers like she did when she got nervous. She tried to say something in return but could only manage to mumble. Shingen watched her for a moment before laughing, at first softly and then with more vigor.

"Silly girl." Shingen said through his laughter.

Emi stood up and mumbled some more before turning to the food on Shingen's table, "You…uh…should eat soon. I'll…um…check in on you later." Emi then hurried out of the room, without closing it, prompting Kotemon to look in confused, though you couldn't see his face to tell. It was funny to both Emi and Shingen that Kotemon has an extreme lack of basic human perceptions, there were many times when Kotemon would not laugh at a joke or laugh at the wrong time, he was very backwards. Nonetheless he closed the door to give Shingen some privacy, at least understanding that much.

Shingen chuckled a bit more before staring at the ceiling. It was true though, what he said. He smiled before turning over on his side and trying to get some sleep, he'd eat later.

_Where would I be without you, Emi?_

_-------------------------_

**Digimon World, On Route to Kassel**

_**POV: Kaito Akimoto**_

"Come on you slow pokes! Move it!" Gaomon roared, pushing the small group forward at a brisk pace.

"Cancel that, we're stopping." Kaito said next, canceling Gaomon's order. The troop gave a relieved sigh and came to an instant stop, some of the troop even fell to their knees with exhaustion.

"What are you doing?" Gaomon asked as he stomped over to Kaito.

Kaito looked around, they were just entering the central part of the Digital world now, still a distance from Kassel. He looked at the men around him, they were tired and anyone could see that. The boy simply shook his head and declared they would set up camp here for the night and for everyone to take a small rest.

"We can make it to Kassel in two days if we keep moving." Gaomon grumbled.

"I'm tired, so we are going to stop." Came the reply from Gaomon's partner.

"Gah, fine, but I want a scouting party sent out."

"In a little while. Let them rest, sheesh, you need to chill out."

Gaomon growled before storming off to oversee the campsite. Kaito shook his head and called for a group of four digimon to scout in a specific area; he had a hunch and he always went with his gut. It never let him down before.

Kassel had fallen yesterday from the information that they had gotten from a stray bounty hunter, who got out of the fight, told of two humans in the castle prior to the siege. It was for this information that Gaomon and Kaitomon marched through the night to make it to the central territory, which was hardly half a days travel from one side to the other. The descriptions matched those that Leomon had reported to Baihumon, being Taiki, Ayumi, Riku, and Tommy.

Why did this matter to Kaito? Simple, he was interested in how many more humans were in the digital world. More importantly, he was beginning to wonder if it was more than just chance that it was those four that were reported. Interesting, because Kaito went to the same school as the said four.

If the bounty hunters found them that meant two possible things: one that they were in the East helping Azulongmon, but if that was the case then why flee when the so called 'Dragon's Champion' appeared? The only other reason was that they weren't helping the East. So the only other place they could have found, and captured Taiki who was saved by Ayumi later, was Jijimon's.

The more he thought about it the more it made sense, that was where Kaito first appeared a month ago after being in this world. It was he, Jijimon, that gave him the false charade of this being a game and sending him out into the world. So, if they all went to the same school, then Kaito was willing to bet that they were at Jijimon's or if nothing else the old man would know something about thier location.

Kaito spent a majority of the afternoon overlooking the campsite and checking in on the digimon accompanying him. They were a stout bunch and war hardened, they would do very well in a fire fight. But it wasn't fighting that Kaito was worried about, at least not with digimon, it was the other humans that he really feared. It was possible that all of the kids here could make their digimon digivolve like Kaito had seen with Gaomon. It was a threat to him, he needed to find out the extent of his adversaries. But not even that was his cheif concern, he had far more reason to fear his human counterparts than just from their ability to make their partners stronger.

And so as night fell Gaomon and Kaito came back together and trekked into the forest, they both had a hunch and Gaomon had a lead, his nose was quite the tracker. They traveled slowly, not really caring if they found what they were looking for or not, their objective at this point had no grave influence on their mission and so they did this task with very will real eagerness to success.

It was really only luck that Gaomon has sent out a few more scouting parties, like he said he would, and had a few fires seen in the area. It was probably noting so the scouts didn't bother them, but why not check just to be sure?

As soon as the two began to think that they were going to find nothing did they come across the smell of smoke and a fire. Kaito smiled, having a gut feeling of success, while Gaomon geared himself for the unexpected, preparing for battle.

They stepped into a small clearing where a fire burned and, like Kaito hoped, one human and one digimon sat in silence. Kaito resigned the boy almost instantly.

"Well, what do you know? It really is you, Tommy, Tommy Draggers."

"…Kaito? Kaito Akimoto?" Tommy said, thunderstruck as he and his soldier digimon partner stood.

"Yeah, amazing, eh?" Kaito replied.

"What are you…doing here?" Tommy asked nervously.

"I guess for the same reasons as you. A game right?" Kaito asked.

Tommy nodded and sat down with his classmate to explain the situation. Both were oddly surprised but both were happy at the outcome. Tommy was no longer alone and Kaito had the satisfaction of knowing that he was right, there were many more and the threat was very real.

Before Tommy could speak though Kaito raised his hand to stop him, "Whoa, I'm not here to talk right now, Draggers." Kaito said with a grin.

"Huh?" Tommy asked confused, "What are you here for then?"

"To find something out…Gaomon." The small rookie stepped in front of Kaito and went into a fighting stance.

"What are you doing?!" Commandramon barked as he came to his feet and shouldered his rifle at Gaomon.

"Oh, you know, just seeing if I'm right!" The carefree child yelled as Gaomon rushed forward and leapt into the air, his fist geared towards Commandramon.

A battle had begun.

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**Digimon World, Southern Border**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto **_

"So that's it?" Ayumi asked herself.

"Seems so. The Southern lands…the realm of mountains and the God of Wind and Winged beasts, Zhuqiaomon." Riku answered her.

Through the jungles and along the flatlands lead Ayumi and Riku to the foot of a ridiculous mountain range. The peaks rose high into the clouds and seemed to spread far longer then the eye could see. From what could be seen from the bottom the entire Southern region was on massive rock, with a green covered base rising up into a brown and rocky middle and then into the snowy peaks, where the tops were powdered white. But even then the mountains rose higher into the sky and into the unknown, where only the brave and those blessed with wings could travel.

"What a place." Ayumi said taken aback.

Riku smiled and looked over the mountaintops eagerly, calculating quickly in his mind and formulating a series of thoughts in his mind, rolling them over, folding them, destroying them and making them anew. In fact, Riku had never felt so vigorated as he did when he first tricked those troop of crazy birds to following him and Dracmon so that Leomon could have his revenge.

He felt challenged, like here he could do great things and test himself. Not like those silly academic tests that were given to him that were all about formulas and predictable behavior or simply memorization. Here he had constantly changing variables, always shifting tides, balances and imbalances.

The mountains to him already had his mind working. Supply routes, defense, offense, and this was just thoughts from the first glimpse. If Riku had a map he'd sit down and do some serious brainstorming, but before could indulge himself sooner he was pulled out of his thoughts by Ayumi.

"Wake up, Sakamoto. I want to get to the capital soon." Ayumi commanded as she began marching towards the mountain.

Ayumi too, though unwilling to admit it, was also fascinated with the place. It was in these peaks that various birds flew everyday, where they enjoyed the happiness of flight. She would never admit her fancy to Riku, since it seemed so girlish of her when she thought of flying and she became…giddy, for lack of a better word.

But she was fueled with the hope that Falcomon would grow stronger and they would be able to fly to the very tops of these mountains. Perhaps a selfish reason for leaving Taiki and Tommy but no one ever said that Ayumi was the most rational child on earth. She was still, after all, only a kid.

And so they ascended, into the mountaintops. The route was anything other then easy to traverse and instantly the two found that it was no wonder that the South could be attacking in so many directions without fear for themselves, the very fact that these mountains made a large scale ground offensive almost impossible without time and resources on a large scale.

A shadow passed over the pair as they traveled. Riku looked up and noticed that the sun was going down and that it might possibly rain, two not so pleasant things. He looked to Ayumi and told her they needed to find some place to find shelter, and soon…..or he would have told her if she was there.

"Ayumi? Ayumi?!" Riku called out before another shadow passed and Riku soon found out why Ayumi was no longer around. He was in the arms of some winged digimon, lifting him high into the air and heading straight for a cliff. Riku screamed, thinking he was going to be thrown into the rock face. Moments later he found himself in a secret cave, safe from any horrific death.

The digimon that had captured him was a strange beast a bird clad in blue feathers that looked like armor with yellow lighting marks emblazoned on it. It was covered in it from tail to head, where a lightning shaped horn was planted, pointing towards the sky, finishing itself off with a white mane that traveling down its back. Its name was Lightningbirdmon and it dropped the boy off quickly in front of a much more proudly postured digimon.

"So, we have two now. Excellent." He spoke in a dignified tone. It was another bird, more normal and yet more human as well. He stood like a man but had the talons for hands and feet and a birds head covered in black feathers. He wore human looking armor though, a breast plate of some kind with loose baggy pants covered with a cloth skirt. At his side were two swords and as he approached Riku he put on a helmet that fit his face perfectly, beak and all. The imposing figure stood tall and regarded Riku judgingly.

"So, you are what we call a human boy. Interesting." The ultimate level digimon named Karatenmon stated with some distaste.

"Yeah, what's it do you?" Riku asked. He brought himself to his feet as another Thunderbirdmon swooped in and dropped Dracmon unto the ground next to him, though he fell to the ground with twirls in his eyes from the surprise.

"A great deal actually. I had a group of crack troops defeated by a 'human child clad in black clothing'. Sound like anyone you know?" Karatenmon asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Tch…what do you want?" Riku asked, as he looked around him to gain his bearing. They were in a cave alright and it looked like it was just a temporary thing too, judging from the lack of….anything really, it was completely bare.

"I would like my men back but seeing that it is impossible to do so I have another thing in mind, you will do me a service and serve me for a time." Was the answer.

"I'm going to Zhuqioamon! I won't help just you!" Riku snapped.

"Oh I think you will, cause I wouldn't want an accident to occur to the other friend of yours. She's on her way to the capital and the only way you will see her safe again is if you help me regain the land we lost because of you. When you destroyed Akatorimon's troop all of Leomon's men who were turned to stone returned to normal. It was only a few days before he gained back the Great Plain and pushed us out. You will make up for this loss." Karatenmon walked over to Riku and put a hand on his head softly, patting his head twice before moving on.

"What are you going to do with her?" Riku asked.

"Oh, she'll be asked to do a mission for me as well. I have a man that will get her to work for us or she'll have to live with the guilt of her friends demise." The bird commander answered.

"But you need me to help you!" Riku hollered.

"She doesn't know that. Hehehe, don't think we are all stupid, human."

Riku grunted loudly, finding himself outplayed and out maneuvered on all fronts. He was fighting an uphill battle where a grimy fate awaited him if he tried anything dumb or risky. It was time to retreat and fight another day.

"So we understand each other then?" the Winged general asked.

"…Perfectly…" Riku muttered, seeing that his options were limited at the time.

"Excellent. We will begin immediately. Start calling the troops together, we are marching into the West once more!" Karatenmon boomed, sending his men into a frenzy as they flew out of the cave and scattered throughout the mountains to rally their comrades to arms.

Riku watched as the scramble took place with gritted teeth. He was angry but at the same time he was more upset with himself for allowing such a simple kidnapping to take place. His mouth turned to a simple frown though as he began seeing a new perspective of the situation.

He now saw what he wanted to do currently. He would go to the Lord of the South, but he would do so with the conquest of the West behind him. He would present himself to the Bird God as a prime strategist. Riku smiled then, if Karatenmon could use him to fight his wars then so could Riku use Karatenmon to fight his own battles.

Now it was just a battle of wits and he could only hope that Ayumi held out until he could help her.

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**Digimon World, Jijimon's Hut**

_**POV: Jijimon**_

It was the end of another day. The sun was slowly fading into the horizon as the moons began to rise, both of them, the digital world had two moons for reasons unknown. The two moons resided over the landscape from the north and south, illuminating both sides of the world.

Jijimon drew in a breath of air from the nearing darkness and gave a long slow exhale. The jungles around him shuffled from a brief wind, but Jijimon knew it was no simple wind that was blowing through. His messengers had come.

"We have returned Jijimon." One dark figure spoke, one of three that appeared from the shadows, their figures hidden in the growing dark.

"I see. So the prophecy has come to pass, a group of small human children have appeared and taken the mantle of saviors…" Jijimon softly spoke of the legend with great solemn respect. "How many are there?"

"Nine in all. Nine human children have been transported here and received their digimon." A second figure spoke.

"Nine? I only greeted eight of them…what of the ninth?" Jijimon asked curiously.

"We don't know, we lost track of him after the gate was opened." The third spoke in answer.

"So we have a wildcard among them…interesting." Jijimon gave a thoughtful hum before thinking aloud again, " So we have seen the passing of the chosen few and their arrival. Now we are passing into the second stage of prophecy."

"What is the second part of the prophecy?" The second spoke once more.

"The second is the tipping of the scales. The prophecy says that the Digidestined will first plunge this world into utter darkness and chaos." Jijimon answered.

"Darkness and Chaos? But I thought they were supposed to heal our world!" The first exclaimed.

"It is a mystery, I will admit."

"Does the prophecy say anything else?" The third pleaded for better news.

"It speaks only of one more thing, a being of unimaginable power and wisdom that is somehow linked to the Digidestined. What it means I don't know…too much of the prophecy is hidden in the four temples." Jijimon said bitterly.

"The four temples?" The three asked in unison.

"The Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western temples, each of them contain a piece of the puzzle that is missing from the temple here in the middle of our world, which the four Lord have made their homes. We need those pieces to make better guesses as to the destiny of the Digidestined." Jijimon stroked his beard thoughfully before speaking, "For now, look for the ninth. Perhaps with the children scattered they will find the clues we seek…"

The shadowy figures saluted quickly, their faces and concerns hidden in the darkness, and leapt into the dark as quietly as they had come. With them gone Jijimon returned to his hut where a warm fire awaited him. He sat down in front of the fire, burning in the middle of his hut, and began to ponder the events of late.

_Shingen and Emi, then Kaito, Michiko, and finally Taiki, Ayumi, Riku, and Tommy. Eight known and all powerful, some more so then others and in very different areas. A leader, a timid girl, an egotist, peace lover, nature lover, a tomboy, a genius, and a soldier. Very interesting group…I see that this world is in for quite the ordeal before the end of this._

As Jijimon dove into his thoughts he wondered what these small innocent children would bring on the world, what horrors and joys awaited him? Only time would tell.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A/N: Alright! So here we are at chapter nine, or ten if you count the prologue. I first must say thanks to all my readers for supporting this story! I'm very, very, very grateful for your support and I hope I continue to capture your interest.

So with the story moving, I believe that it would make my story easier to follow if add a day and time to each POV, so you know when and where things are taking place. I believe I'll use a system of putting everything in the order they occur, except for special occasions. So the first POV will happen and when POV 2 comes around I will say how many hours it is after the first, or if it's the same time then I'll say that. But suggestions from any of you would be appreciated as well!

Anyway, I'm very excited about the story now that we are finally past the initial chapters and getting into the meat of the story, where the real plot and stuff gets cooking! (As you see with Karatenmon.And Jijimon's POV, pay close attention to that!) I hope that you all continue to enjoy my story!

As always, read, review, and enjoy.

-Arc.


	11. The Diverging Paths

Chapter 10: The Diverging Paths

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

Note: Okay! I shall thank Sorano Tera for her advice and I am now going to use a time system, and am going to steal the use of dashes since it looks cleaner, XP. So anyway, hopefully this helps out a bit. So, day 1 would be the day Taiki and his group came into the Digimon World and so Day 5 would be, five days after (It was five days, though it might seem like two or three.). XD Alright, on we go! Also, I assume we all know this story is in the digital world…so I took that out of the location part. XD

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Northern Territory - Central Terminal - Day 5 - 12:00 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

"We're finally here!" Taiki shouted as he ran over to the nearest tree and gave it a huge hug, his hands barely reaching around the massive plant, the size of a small skyscraper.

"Yes, yes!" Kudamon agreed as it ran up the same tree, into the dense network of branches and leaves above. Moments later the rookie returned with two odd orange fruits, or so they seemed at first glance.

"Uh…Kudamon, what is this?" Taiki asked, holding the oval fruit. Taiki looked to his partner to see that the rookie had already stuffed it into his mouth with a grin and had succedded in making a mess of his face, since the fruit was larger then Kudamon's mouth. Taiki sighed and when Kudamon didn't roll over from eating it Taiki ate it as well.

Taiki face scrunched up and he furrowed his eye brows slightly, "Kind of sour, but it's not all bad. Can you find anymore?"

"We see." Kudamon zoomed up the tree once more. The rookie digimon disappeared into the green sky above Taiki and left his sight.

Moments passed and soon the small rookie came down with two odd square shaped fruits with a white skin. Taiki took the fruit and looked at it carefully.

"Uh…you try it." Taiki said, handing one of the fruit to Kudamon, wary of a square fruit.

"Okay." Kudamon gleefully responded, taking the large nut sized square and consumed it quickly.

Taiki swallowed anxiously and after a moment, "Well? Ah!" Taiki reached out just as Kudamon dropped from the lowest branch, a few feet from the ground.

"Kudamon, wake up!" Taiki urged, giving his rookie friend a firm shake, who seemed to be out cold. With a heavy sigh Taiki picked up his partner, tossing the extra fruit over his shoulder, and began to trek into the deeper portions of the Central Terminal Forest, hoping to reach the Apemon that was in charge when he was last in the Northern Territories.

With Kudamon over his shoulder and a smile on his face Taiki continue forward, not noticing the shifting shadows that were following him into the forest. The shadow passed over Taiki's head and the boy had only a second to look up before a net was cast down over him and seconds later he was hoisted into the foliage above, vanishing.

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**Southern Territory - On Route to ??????? - Day 5 - 12:00 PM**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"Argh!" Ayumi screamed as she hurled a rock as far as she could. Falcomon could only watch sheepishly as the tomboy fumed and ranted loudly as they made their way to their destination.

To say Ayumi was upset was obviously an understatement. Captured by Karatenmon and then told to do a mission or else Riku would suffer the consequences was more then Ayumi could take, pride wise. She was upset that she was so easily apprehended and that she was now being forced into doing this job for that despicable bird digimon.

And the job itself was something that went against Ayumi's morality! She just couldn't conceive of doing it under anything less then extreme circumstances. And yet here she was, in such an extreme case. Falcomon watched the female kick rocks, hurl out angry curses towards Karatenmon, and do everything possible to vent her anger. Not even Falcomon, who often tried to curb Ayumi's anger when it rose, was not going anywhere near the monster he was seeing now.

"I can't believe he asked me to do that! What does he think I am? A killer!?" Ayumi cried, mostly to herself.

Karatenmon had told them that they were to find and kill a certain leader, for the safe return of Riku and an escort to Zhuqioamon himself. While normally Ayumi would not listen to anything such a jerk said she found her hand forced and that was the primary source of her anger, her inability to do anything other then obey.

But more then that, Ayumi couldn't help but feel like she was being played somehow. She remembered how Karatenmon just seemed all too happy to send Ayumi out on this little mission, like there was some twisted joke behind it all, a mystery that Ayumi had no idea how to solve. This helplessness was really getting to her. She was not used to being in any kind of distress, it just wasn't something she was used too.

"Ay--Ayumi…maybe we should calm down and think about this. We've killed digimon before, so its not so different." Falcomon tried to reason.

"I guess…but he was way too happy for it to be that simple! There has got to be a catch, maybe it's a super level digimon that is like impossible to beat! I bet Karatenmon knows it too!" Ayumi boomed, falling into her ranting again.

With Ayumi blowing steam into the air and Falcomon following silently, hoping that Ayumi would calm down before their reached where their mission was too take place. The path carried them towards a familiar destination.

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**Western/Central Border - Day 4 - 9:00 PM**

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

"Commandramon!" Tommy yelled as Gaomon leapt in the air, positioning himself to strike directly at Tommy.

Commandramon flashed unto the scene, hurling a DCD Bomb at Gaomon. The explosion repelled Gaomon from Tommy and the commando rookie took no time to train his aim on the hostile digimon and open fire. In response, the small dog digimon began sprinting around Commandramon to avoid fire as best he could.

"What are you doing, Kaito!?" Tommy backed up slowly, to avoid being dragged into the fight, watching as Commandramon's bullets peppered the ground, following Gaomon who seemed to be faster than Tommy's partner's attack. The jungle around them, typical of the central areas, seemed to stand like ever silent, imposing, and unrelenting spectators.

"I told you, I'm just testing a theory is all." Kaito answered with his signature monotone, or nonchalant voice.

"This is all you've got? What a waste of energy." Gaomon mocked as he launched himself into the air towards Commandramon. "Rolling Upper!" Gaomon began spinning into a tornado, his fist flying out towards the soldier digimon. The blows landed square hits on Commandramon as Gaomon descended, uninhibited by Commandramon's own attack which seemed to bounce off with no effect.

_Oh no, Kaito's digimon is a lot stronger then Commandramon. His M16 Assassin rounds just bounce off him!_

Gaomon continued his assault, landing on the ground and launching himself at a dazed Commandramon. "Gao Rush!" Gaomon let loose a volley of straight punches. Commandramon could barely defend himself and was quickly losing ground from the rapid attack. Commandramon was backed into a tree and met with a hard surface as a cushion from Gaomon's attacks.

"Don't worry, Tommy. I won't lose!" Commandramon told his partner as he defended himself.

"Gaomon, forget him. Attack Tommy!" Kaito roared.

"Alright, alright!" Gaomon barked, ending his attack with a powerful kick to Commandramon's head, knocking the rookie straight up into the tree. "Here I come!" Gaomon pulled a one-eighty and rushed towards Tommy, his right fist pulled back and aimed at Tommy.

_I can't believe it…_

Tommy froze, finding his strength failing him as he stood rooted to the ground. The small rookie closed in, aimed, and launched his attack. The blow struck Tommy square in the chin and sent him hurtling backwards into a tree a few feet behind the defenseless human.

Tommy hit the tree and slumped down next to it, his body slouched and his eyes became heavy. _Can't believe its over so quickly_. Tommy looked up at Gaomon, and Kaito as they came into view, standing above him in victory and looking down on him with odd looks of curiosity. The boy's head bobbed a few times and his eyes closed and opened twice before Tommy lost consciousness. Tommy's last thoughts were of his partner, hoping that at least he survived.

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**Western Territory (Near the Great Plains) - Day 5 - 7:00 PM**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

Here they were, back in the Western lands, the last place Riku wanted to be. He was the leading strategist of a small army that was supposed to sneak into the Great Plains and strike back at Leomon's men, just like he had done to the Akatorimon and Kokatorimon before. He was to fight for a digimon who held him and Ayumi captured by using the other against them, the cooperation of one for the safety of the other. A foul game at best.

"You okay, Riku?" Dracmon asked, trying a very rare serious tone that cracked half way through. Dracmon wasn't really sure how to be serious when not in a fight.

"Yeah," Riku responded as he walked behind Karatenmon. Riku made sure that there was plenty of space between him and that bird freak. "I just don't like being used. Ayumi is working for him because of me and I'm in the same situation but vice versa. Not only that, but I have to undo all the good I did here…Yeah, I'm just dandy."

Dracmon floated toward Karatenmon and pretended to bite him in various places. The rookie began to laugh in a heinous way, despite the fact that Riku found it less then amusing. Riku watched the ultimate level digimon, spraying daggers from his eyes. But at least Dracmon was keeping a level head. Riku knew that underneath all the antics was a serious digimon, like Riku himself was, and could be trusted in a pinch.

_Yeah, I'll have the last laugh Karatenmon. You just watch, two can play this game._

Riku knew what he had to do. It was going to be a long path and in retrospect Karatenmon might just be the thing Riku needed for his own plans. If he wanted to make an impact on this war he needed power. The power to end a war was something he was willing to go to any lengths to get….even if it meant taking Taiki, Tommy, and Ayumi down to get it.

"We're stopping here! Set up camp and ready yourselves for the battle tomorrow!" Karatenmon ordered, and his mixed troop of grounded and flying birds obeyed without a word. Obviously this man taught strict and silent obedience. Riku made note of it, he might be able to use it to his advantage.

"You, report to me as soon as you've set up, we've got a battle to plan." Karatenmon ordered of Riku and Dracmon. Riku watched Karatenmon walk away without an answer from the boy.

"Didn't even wait for an answer." Riku mumbled.

Dracmon and Riku silently set up their tent in a far corner of the camp before reporting to Karatenmon, as ordered. Riku decided that distance from the group at his point would serve his purposes better then putting himself into the fray with no knowledge of this groups inner workings. As they made their way to his tent, the largest and most furnished, they whispered to the other.

"So, have you got a plan? Gonna trick the beasties real good, yeah?" Dracmon asked.

"Yeah, I've got an idea. But this is only one battle, Dracmon. When you play chess you have to think three moves ahead to be a good player." Riku responded vaguely, obviously pointing towards his larger goal.

Riku had big plans for himself and he was going to use Karatenmon to get where he needed to go, whether the bird wanted it or not. He was going to find out the hard way that you can push Riku Sakamoto around but you can't keep him down. He swore on his sisters name that he'd come out on top.

"Alright, as long as we get to do lots of fun stuffs!" Dracmon beamed, hoping for more chances to fight and humiliate more digimon, like they did with Akatorimon.

Riku laughed, for the first time since he left Tommy and Taiki, and entered Karatenmon's tent. It was going to be rough for Riku and Dracmon but they were resolved to go on. Someone had to fight this war and make a winner out of the South.

It might as well be them.

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**Eastern Territory - Kassel - Day 5 - 9:00 PM**

_**POV: Shingen Takeda**_

Shingen moved a small wooden figure over a map and sighed as he closed his eyes tightly and opened them wide, trying to rid his heavy eyes of their fatigue. He was planning his next move and he had to look at all the options and make the best choice available to him. He ran his hand through his short brown hair and his blue eyes flashed acrosst he map once more.

"Okay, we can consolidate our position here, using Kassel as a base of operations. Or we could abandon the fortress and strike swiftly into the South…we might catch them off guard." Shingen examined the map, sprawled over the table by his bed. The room was lit with many candles and one could see a tray of half eaten food on the floor, left sitting for a few hours.

"Or we could go North…Ebonwumon is busy with SkullMeramon, we might catch both of them off guard and kill two birds with one stone…But someone could attack while we are away…" Shingen sighed, slammed his hands down on the table, and hung his head before letting out a small yell.

_Darn it! There is just too many possibilities…if I choose wrong lots of digimon will die! _Shingen slammed the table again, his eyes closing and opening as they fought against sleep. A third time Shingen hit the table, his frustration, and the pressure to act, building. It was different when he was trying to reclaim the ground lost before his appointment but now he had to play the offensive and it was a whole new game.

The door cracked open slowly, "Shingen? I heard a shout…" Emi stepped in and walked over to a very pained looking Shingen and quickly moved across the room to his side. "Are you okay?" She put a hand on his back and gave him her full attention, not that he had anything else any other time.

Shingen stood and shook his head, "No, its fine. I just got frustrated is all. I probably just need to sleep. Sorry to worry you, Emi." Despite his feelings against lying, he did so flawlessly, or so he hoped, and Emi seemed to buy it. She nodded and walked over to his food and picked it up and moved towards the door.

"If you need me…I'm just next door." Emi murmured as she left, Kotemon entering as she walked out.

"What's the news, Kotemon?" Shingen said dejectedly, sitting in a chair by his map.

"Nothing new; the South is hiding their activity and could be doing anything. The West is standing on the defensive right now and the Northern is still contending with SkullMeramon." The rookie reported.

"I see…" Shingen looked over the map, his eyes half open, "I'm thinking… that we may have to try something new in order to move forward. I just…don't know what that something is."

Kotemon nodded and walked over to the map, "A new plan." A quick glance gave Kotemon all he needed to know, he was much sharper when it came to analyzing then Shingen was and if he had a more charismatic personality he would probably make a better leader.

"Well, there is no rush. Azulongmon is sending fresh supplies and some new recruits so we can't do anything until they arrive, two days at the earliest. Take your time, a leader must use his time wisely and not cram everything into one session."

Shingen nodded and yawned softly, "I suppose…" Shingen looked at his partner, "Kotemon…what if we lose?"

The rookie looked at his partner for a moment then to the map. A few seconds passed by before Kotemon turned his back on Shingen and walked to the door.

"You should go to bed, Shingen. Good night."

That was all Shingen needed to know. Losing was _not_ an option no matter what the cost. The only question was, how far was Shingen willing to go to end this war? To what lengths had to be taken and how much could the brilliant, but normally good natured, boy take before he destroyed himself, and his morality? Shingen wasn't really sure of it himself…and that was what scared him the most.

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**Eastern Territory - Kassel - Day 5 - 9:00 PM**

_**POV: Emi Hamano**_

"Well, how is he?" Salamon asked as Emi retuned to her room. A strangely identical version of Shingen's only smaller. It was an odd thing for all of the rooms of any given floor to be completely identical except for size. Obviously, the designer had no originality…or maybe too much of it.

"He says he's fine…but he's a horrible liar." Emi answered.

Salamon gave a surprised look, "He lied to you?" This was remarkable, Shingen never lied. The small time she had known the Takeda boy she never knew him to make any kind of false saying of any kind. Always things that rang true came from him and nothing else. It was unsettling to learn that something was affecting him so, to force him to lie.

"It worries me…I think this whole thing might be too much for him." Emi sank into her bed and covered her face with her hands, "And I don't know what to do! I've always been a burden to him, even when I hated him, but now I'm just a weight with no use when I should be doing something!" Emi groaned as she racked her mind to find some measure of usefulness in herself.

Moving to her partners side, Salamon leaped into her partners lap, "Don't worry, Shingen is stronger then I think even he knows. Besides, he has us and Kotemon looking out for him, he'll be fine."

Emi nodded and petted her partner lovingly, "Yeah…we'll protect him while he is saving the world." Emi smiled and both her and Salamon turned to the window by the bed and looked out at the darkening sky. It was going to rain…

_I just hope that I can be of some use before this is over…_

**Northern Territory - Central Terminal City - Day 5 - 9:00 PM**

_**POV: Michiko Hasegawa**_

It had been only a day since Michiko returned to Terminal City when she was told of a human being captured by two Veggiemon crossing from the central plains into the Northern forests. Normally she would have thought them confused but their description matched a human and, to her curiosity, a human she knew.

So she and Lalamon were power walking towards the holding cells, a large decayed tree used as a jail house for prisoners for war criminals. When she entered the dank, wet, and moldy tree she found that the human had already drawn someone to see him, or her.

"Let him out now! I know him!" A general by the name of Apemon demanded.

"I can't! We have to have him interrogated just like any other foreigner!" One of the Veggiemon, the one that choose to stay behind and guard the human, said.

"You fool, you dare keep someone who helped turn back SkullMeramon's last attack? It was because of him and his friends that we were able to stop their assault!" Apemon insisted.

"Friends? There were more?" Michiko popped up, her golden eyes focusing on Apemon curiously.

"Yes, four of them. They all had partners like you and helped us fend the DarkTyranomon off when they attacked."

"Hmmm…" Michiko had thought the rumor of more humans and partner digimon was just a hoaxed to boost morale. Indeed the rumors of one boy and his partner digimon grew more outrageous every time the story was told. The tale of a forest loving boy and his fox digimon who, as they said, commanded the forest itself to protect him were the ones that were given the most credit for stopping the attack, though the real fighting was done by Apemon and his group.

"I want to see! Let me see!" Lalamon piped up, her curiosity now peaked as well. Lalamon was a kind of random commenter in Michiko's eyes, never one to speak except in the most inappropriate times and often with very strange things to say…or in this case she was just being plain loud. She reminded Michiko of her younger self. She was also known to do some very odd things such as chase things and try to capture them…she was like a small child in many respects. What could she say? Michiko was a very rambunctious girl in her youth and she used that to make Lalamon.

The Veggiemon nodded and lead them down the hall and to a door, or removable piece of bark really. The plant digimon pointed to the door and then bounced up to the front desk, to await anymore digimon with questions or a message from Ebonwumon who was too big to visit the upper levels of the city and had to send messengers everywhere to learn of things.

Apemon tore away the bark and tossed it to the ground and stomped through the hallway to the last cell where he hastily began trying to open the lock. Michiko tip-toed in front of the cage and sure enough she was met with the image of a human, sleeping in the back where the shadows covered up his features.

"I wonder who…" Michiko began as she felt a furry paw, or paws, on her back. When the furry thing began to coil around her neck she grabbed it instantly with a small shriek. She tossed the thing into the air where it landed on the ground with a thump.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Meanie! I tell Taiki on you! Yes, yes!" The furry Digimon ranted as it ran around in figure eights, zig-zags, and an assortment of odd shapes and patterns.

"Hey, are you the digimon that commands the forests!?" Lalamon asked as she attempted to pounce on and capture the wily digimon, to no avail. Michiko sighed heavily as she watched her partner pursue the small ferret as it bolted around the hallway.

Michiko shook herself out of her momentary embarressment as Apemon finally got the door open and went about to pushed the door off to the side, it was a sliding door, one of few in the whole city since it needed a mechanisim. Michiko stepped forward, "So you are Tai…" Her eyes bugged, her hair stood on end and she rushed in and grabbed the collar of the human. It was a boy, brown hair, hoodie, old stinky army boots, and too many pockets to count on his person.

"Uh…who..?" The boy groaned.

"TAIKI YAMADA???!!!!" Michiko screamed in surprise.

"WAH!?" Taiki yelled in response his eyes popping open instantly.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" Michiko demanded, shaking the boy by the collar back and forth like he was a rag doll. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE!?" She continued, still shaking him strongly.

"I ah, Ow! Gah!" Taiki spat as his head was thrown back and forth by Michiko.

"Got you!" Lalamon cheered as she succeeded in capturing the elusive Kudamon.

"NOOOOOOOO! CAPTURED!" Kudamon roared dramtically as he struggled against his captor.

"ANSWER ME TAIKI!" Michiko yelled with more strength as she shook the poor boy relentlessly.

While Taiki was being shook and yelled at, while Kudamon was being chased, captured, and then tormented, Apemon was watching silently from the sidelines. Apemon felt a bead of sweat slide down his furry face and he was utterly, and completely, confused as to what in the world was going on. With an eyebrow twitch and a firm decision he took action.

"ALL OF YOU STOP!" Apemon boomed, slamming his bone club into the ground.

"Huh?" Michiko stammered as she stopped shaking a frazzled and drooling Taiki, who had lost consciousness once more, his mouth open and his eyes crossed.

"Aww…" Lalamon muttered as she released Kudamon's tail and let it scurry towards Taiki and into his jacket.

"Ugh…" Apemon sighed thankfully and put away his weapon. He could tell it was going to be a very, very, long night. But Ebonwumon would want to see Taiki and he would take him to see his Lord.

….As soon as he woke up that is….

--------------------------

**Northern Territory - Central Terminal City - Day 6 - 12:00 AM**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

"So that's my plan." Riku ended his proposal as he sat back down in his seat and looked at Karatenmon, who was taking in the idea.

"Interesting…cunning, brutal, and efficient. Very good, we will adopt this strategy for the time being." The Bird Commander answered.

"Hahaha! We gonna get them good, chomp chomp!" Dracmon danced around the table. Riku looked at his partner and was slightly disturbed by his own creation.

Dracmon was strange, he didn't speak much and only seemed to respond to violence and evil deeds, when not being serious that is. While this normally wouldn't be a problem Riku began to worry about himself…the source of Dracmon's creation. He worried about his own inner self and wondered if this war was going to bring out that side of him he saw in Dracmon. He made a note to steel himself from such weaknesses.

"I have a question. What did you tell Ayumi to do?" Riku asked, pulling Dracmon to his side and making him sit still on the ground next to him. Riku sat crossed legged on the floor, in front of a small map of the West lands, with Karatenmon sitting across from the duo. The tent they were in was square and lightly furnished, as it was a war room.

"Oh, I set her to pick off an annoying upstart is all. No one really special…it should be interesting to see how she fairs though." Karatenmon chuckled as he spoke.

The smell in the air didn't sit well with Riku at all and even Dracmon, who was normally very non-observant noted the sense of extreme pleasure in the ultimate's voice. Something was very foul about the mission, if it was really as simple as he said then why such a laugh?

"Who is she sent to get rid of?" Riku asked demandingly.

Karatenmon's chuckle turned to a small laugh and then into a full blown evil villain laugh, the Riku saw in saturday morning cartoons. The bird stood and cut the air with his right hand. He then pulled a feather from his mane and threw it at the map, snapping over an area set in the East.

"I told her to remove someone or you would not be safely returned to her." He began to laugh again, "And the person I told her to eliminate is….Hahahaha….The Dragon's Champion!"

Riku felt his stomach cave in as the maniac fell into a third bout of laughing. Riku had no idea who this Dragon's Champion was, but he was immensely worried. He gritted his teeth and his hands turned to fists in frustration. He didn't know who this champion was…but he worried that Ayumi was in for far more then she bargained for.

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**A/N: **Alrighty, so this is the long awaited chapter. One with all of the known characters in it! This is a kind of setting up chapter again, hence why everyone is being shown. I'm very glad that we are here for a few reason: one I can finally get more of the partner digimon into the stories and show their personality, such as Kotemon and Gaomon are shown, they their personalities lend them to be more forcibly shown. Second, I can put focus characters because I don't have to divide attention between them with only one or two in each POV, makes it a lot easier. And finally, we are in the mix of it now! The moving of the various point of views, how they influence each other, and how they all go together, or clash in some cases, is the best part of the story and I'm working on lots of things, since I have too many ideas to get down so the chapters may take longer since I have to think about connection, the most important part of my story, how my story connects.

The next chapters wont' have so many POV's, this was just a 'what everyone is doing' chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!

As always, sorry for typos that I missed (Nasty critters they are), read and review!

-Arc.


	12. A Day of Peace and Battle!

Chapter 11: A Day of Peace and Battle!

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

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**Eastern Territory - Kassel - Day 6 - 4:00 AM**

_**POV: Shingen Takeda**_

_**You are the heir to this clan, you have no other duty than to the Takeda name! Remember it, boy!**_

Shingen rolled over unto his stomach, the bed sheets shifting widely around himself as the candle light flickered from a brief chill that filled the room momentarily.

_**Wherever you go, whatever you do, people will watch you, do not disappointment me…boy.**_

He gripped his pillow and buried his face in it, groaning slightly from his unpleasant dream. Sweat began to slide down his face slowly as his face distorted to show his comfort. He rolled again, unto his back and this time the sheets were pulled so that they covered only half the bed.

_**You are a Takeda first and Shingen second, understood boy?!**_

"Ah!" Shingen rose with a start. He took in his surroundings and huge helpings of air to fill his lungs and calm his mind and heart. He ran a hand over his white long sleeved shirt, attempting to seek some comfort from the fabric, no success.

_Even here the old man haunts me…_Shingen pulled the covered off of himself and walked over to the single window in his room, his karate pants failed in keeping out the cold air. He put his hands on the cold stone and looked out over the castle grounds.

"They call me commander…a leader…" Shingen whispered to himself. The air ran through his brown hair, putting his bangs into disarray in front of his eyes. He tapped the cold stone with his right pointer finger and sighed.

"But he only called me 'boy'"

**::FLASHBACK:: **

"Father, you wanted me?" An eight year old Shingen asked as he slid the door to his father's study open.

"Yes," His father replied as he continued to look through a number of papers that were probably very important. Shingen's elder sister, by nine years, was just engaged to a long time friend of the Takeda clan and Shingen's father was very involved in the ceremonies, services, and other tedious tasks that had to be done.

A time passed in silence and a small Shingen gulped slightly. He sat a small distance from his father, who was sitting on the floor with a low table in front of him, scattered papers covering much of the surface. Around them large tapestries holding the Takeda symbol seemed to stand as a testament to the clans prestige and, in effect, Shingen's own role as sole male heir.

"Father, Wh-" Shingen began.

"You shall wait until spoken too." Was the interjection by his father. The man went through a few more pieces of paper and then without warning he pushed them aside and turned his eyes unto his son. The man was clouded in the darkness and his features were not to be seen.

"Today you are the last of the Takeda line, your sister will take on her husbands name and you will have to carry the complete burden now." His father roughly began, coughing halfway during his sentence, "As such you are now expected to carry out all duties that are given to you, do you understand this responsibility? You are now sole heir, as both eldest male and as my only remaining child."

Shingen nodded slowly and decided that to say nothing was better then to openly voice his agreement, for fear of a weak voice coming from his mouth. His father nodded and then continued with his speech.

"I have set up for you to transfer to a new school where you will be spending time with a young girl, Emi Hamano, she is your bride to be, I suggest you make things as smooth between you two as possible. You will also begin to attend a military school during the summer months, as did I before you and my father before me and so on. The Takeda have always been involved in the military and this tradition will be carried on."

"Yes, Father." Shingen answered.

"I expect nothing but the best from you, you are my son, named after the greatest of the Takeda. Do _not _shame the Takeda, or _his_ name. Understand...boy?"

**::ENDFLASHBACK:: **

Shingen shook his head, what was the point of such thoughts? His father was always about duty to the clan and never to his family. His mother was lonely and made to obey, his sister the apple of his eye for her beauty, grace, and excellent upholding of the Takeda name.

Shingen on the other hand didn't sit well with his father. Even though Shingen did everything near perfect, his teachers sometimes couldn't fathom how he came up with his ideas for papers, theories for reports, and methods to getting things done, but his father seemed to disdain him. For a long time he couldn't understand why, but just before coming to this world he did understand, or began too.

In his clan, Shingen had the favorite off the entire Takeda clan. While his sister was his fathers favorite, Shingen was the clan's favorite. Shingen had just began to understood that his father was spiteful of his own sons success, a success that had only occurred because of an untimely death of his older brother which allowed Shingen's father to succeed Shingen's grandfather.

But his mother said that he was just trying to push Shingen to be the best and that he really loved him. Maybe that was true, but Shingen didn't see it.

_Why am I bothered by this now? My past life is the least of my worries now. I have only to worry about this war and Emi, I need to somehow figure out how to continue my advance without support from Azulongmon…wait...support..._

Shingen's head popped up and he walked over to the map he was using earlier and began moving the pieces on the map around vigorously. The pieces were dashed back and forth, up and down until they stood where he wanted them to be. He stepped back and after a moment of sudden realization he snapped his fingers.

He had his plan! The first steps to piecing together this war torn world.

----------------

**Northern Territory - Terminal Forest - Day 6 - 10:00 AM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

"Geez, I'm really sorry Taiki. I didn't mean to wring you out like that." Michiko apologized with a bowed head and a sorry expression.

Taiki waved his hands in front of his face, "No, no! Its okay, you were just surprised. Its not that big of a deal anyway, I'm fine now, really!" Michiko had been expressing her sorrow for the past few minutes that Taiki had been conscious.

They were in an elevator of sorts, being lowered into the pits of Terminal Forest where Ebonwumon used as his house, meaning the entire bottom forest grounds. The city was put high up into the trees for defensive purposes since many powerful digimon were very big and could not travel up the trees, and the trees themselves hindered flying enemies from swooping in and out without trouble, ambushes were also easy to use in these parts.

"Yes, yes! We fine." Kudamon chirped as it popped out from the collar of Taiki's jacket, still hiding from Lalamon who acted confused as to the ferrets actions towards it.

Michiko put her hands behind her back and thought for a moment, "Well….if you say so." With a nod and a twirl she went back to her partner.

Taiki let out a breath of relief. To deal with Riku was bad, to confront Ayumi was suicidal, but to be around Michiko Hasegawa was suffocating to him. It was a well known secret, to all but Michiko, that Taiki had the largest crush on the female, and even Taiki remained oblivious to the fact that EVERYONE knew about his crush on her.

But who was he kidding? She was popular, pretty, athletic, and an all around star of the school. Taiki was quiet, passive, easily pushed around, and well….just not cool. He was just way too under the radar for anyone like Michiko to notice. Besides, he tried to ask her to go somewhere with him before and every time he did it always seemed like something, or someone, got in the way and interrupted them. So after a while Taiki just gave up and chose to watch her from afar.

But low and behold the irony that fate had transpired to put the two together in a bizarre world of monsters and war. How cruel the god of destiny could be at times to an undeserving victim like Taiki Yamada.

A shuffling in Taiki's jacket and a furry head popped out of his collar once more. "Thinking?" Kudamon asked Taiki.

"A little." The response came.

"'Bout?" The small animal asked as it crawled unto the top of Taiki's head and planted himself comfortably there, amongst the nest Taiki called his hair.

"Nothing…just…uh, stuff." Taiki mumbled, not sure of how to tell Kudamon of his affections.

"I know what you are thinking about!" Kudamon beeped gleefully.

"Really? Y-you do?"

"Yes! You are worried about being tackled by the bigger girl again! The little one is scary too!" Kudamon wrongfully guessed.

"Hahaha." Taiki shook his head, "Well, that's not completely it but its close enough I guess!"

"We're here," Apemon hollered from the lifts door as it touched down. "Remember your manners." Apemon warned Taiki, who even though had been an asset, was still a foreigner.

"Yes, sir." Taiki answered as Michiko came up to his side.

"No worries, Taiki. Just stick with me and I'll get you on grandpa's good side!" Michiko beamed as she trotted along the forest floor into a massive grove, like something out of a painting that was too beautiful to be real. Flowers of every sort dotted the ground and trucks of the trees, small ponds were scattered about filled with glistening water, as clear as early morning dew.

Traveling into the meadow the group came across a large tree in the middle of the grove. The tree was oddly rooted to the ground and Taiki instantly thought something amiss with it. He soon learned why.

"Hey, Grandpa, we have someone to meet you!" Michiko hollered to the tree.

"Don't talk to lord Ebonwumon that way, Michiko." Apemon snapped at the girl.

_Is this tree really Ebonwumon?_ Taiki thought to himself as Kudamon ran over to the so called God and proceeded, to the dismay of Michiko and Apemon, to climb up the tree. A few shakes from the tree and then a large yawn erupted.

_Yikes! It yawned!_

"Who is it? Don't you know that its my nap time?" The elderly sounding tree groggily muttered. Suddenly a long turtle shaped head began to emerge from what Taiki had first thought a strange earth formation, but turned out to be a turtle shell!

Kudamon slithered its way down the tree and unto the now distinguishable shell, looking over the edge at the emerging neck. Kudamon twisted his head oddly and tried to stretch out his own neck, the rookie seemed frustrated when he was unable to, tried again, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.

"Oh, are you okay!" Lalamon yelped, "Let me help!"

"NOOOO!" Kudamon bolted toward Taiki again and into his jacket, to hide once more.

"Lord Ebonwumon, I have brought you one the children I mentioned earlier. He was found returning to our forests and was put into custody. I thought it was of highest priority that he be brought here." Apemon reported rigidly with a cough, choosing to ignore Lalamon, who was more confused then ever, and Kudamon who was shivering like a baby.

"Oh?" Ebonwumon turned its long neck and scanned the area to find Taiki. When the said human was found the God shook itself and walked over to the boy, imposing on Taiki his massive size. "So you must be Taiki. Apemon has told me much about you and your friends."

Taiki fumbled with his hands slightly, unsure of what to saw to the large turtle….tree….digimon, thing. He nodded slowly and decided that silence was the best course for now.

"So, tell me Taiki Yamada, what brings you back to these parts of the digital world?" Ebonwumon asked.

This Taiki could answer, it would just take a little time.

"Well, you see sir, it all started when….."

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**Eastern Territory - Kassel - Day 6 - 9:00 PM**

_**POV: Emi Hamano**_

"It's a nice day!" Salamon barked as she pranced out unto the balcony to look out over the horizon and down on the digimon working below. Salamon turned around and ran back to Emi, who was standing on the balcony as well, and ran in close circles around her.

"Cheer up Emi! Everything will be fine!" Salamon cheered.

Emi nodded automatically, hoping that telling herself would make it come true somehow. She walked to the balcony and looked over the burning horizon as the sun scorched the sky and painted it orange and red. She took in a deep breath as she watched the descending sphere.

Emi knew she had to help Shingen somehow, she felt compelled too. She liked to believe that she just happened to be with him when he booted up that game for a reason, destiny perhaps. What she was supposed to do wasn't as clear as she wished it could be. Up until now all she had been able to do was make him eat and remind him to take of himself. She was really nothing more then a nagging mother.

Emi was glad to at least have Salamon at her side. She wasn't sure how she'd get along without her partner to look out for her and make sure she didn't get too tied down, Salamon kept Emi moving, laughing, and in a generally upbeat mood. It helped to have a good friend at your back.

Salamon barked as the sun, hoping to make Emi laugh at her silliness but in mid-bark she noticed a black dot travel across the sun. The rookie digimon silenced herself as she focused on the moving dot as it using the sun as a cover and bulleted towards the castle.

"Um…Emi." Salamon turned her head up to her partner.

"I see it…do you think…" Emi began to fiddle with her skirt as she pondered quietly. "I think we should go, Salamon, its time we checked in on Shingen." Emi turned and tossed her ponytail over her right shoulder, after it swung around to the front, and proceeded into the castle.

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**Eastern Territory - Kassel - Day 6 - 11:30 PM**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"Shhh, Falcomon, be quiet." Ayumi warned her partner as they snuck about the castle corridors. It had been quiet the ordeal to get in here.

First they had to make some large scene that would draw the attention of the guarding digimon away from the castle that was about an hour and a half ago. A nearby forest fire helped them to believe that the South, with many fire digimon, was attacking. With them in a panic Ayumi used Falcomon as a glider and got into the castle, the growing darkness helped a lot. It was a lot rougher then it would have appeared on paper though.

"Don't shhh me! Do you know how much my wings and talons hurt? It wasn't easy carrying you, you know?!" Falcomon whimper as it sat down in a dark corner, moaning the pain in his little boy.

"…Are you saying I'm fat?" Ayumi's right eyebrow twitched slightly as her right hand became a fist and flinched.

"I'm saying you a lot bigger then me!" Falcomon answered, not seeing the consequences.

"You little!" Ayumi bopped Falcomon on the head with an angry fist. The tomboy growled as she went back to being lookout while Falcomon tried to suck back his tears as he rubbed his now bruised head.

The pair, after a moment of strained silence, rushed into the corridor and began ascending the stairs. They weren't sure about who the Dragon's Champion was but they could guess he was in the highest room, where it was obviously the hardest to get too.

For some reason though the corridors and rooms were all empty after they snuck up to the third story, the fifth being their destination. The duo made sure to stop and double check their trial to make sure no one was secretly planning an ambush.

"Ayumi…this is too easy." Falcomon shuddered slightly from the thought of what might happen to them if they were caught sneaking into this castle to delete their leader.

Ayumi nodded as they continued upward, "Tell me about it, if we had a choice I'd say lets get out quick." But retreat was not an option, a friends life was on the line and Ayumi was not going to bail out on Riku like that.

Finally the stairs lead to the last floor. The floor consisted of a large hall way with three rooms, one on each side and one at the very end of the hallway, the walls were decorated with tapestries of red and green, with four diamonds in black placed in the middle of each.

The two doors to the left and right were exactly the same while the last one, at the end of the hall, had the same quadruple diamonds planted on them. Ayumi looked to her partner and darted towards the door, like it was the final leg of a race.

_This is it, here we go!!!_

"Please, don't interrupt him."

Ayumi and Falcomon stopped dead in their tracks and slowly turned around to see the door on the left open quietly and from it stepped a girl, a _human_ girl, with a small dog like digimon next to her. Ayumi's eyes scanned the girl quickly, blonde hair, blue eyes, the timid yet kind face that always made her likable. Ayumi's mouth dropped open from surprise, it was Emi Hamano, the picture perfect girl with everything going for her, money, popularity, a boyfriend who's name goes back to the feudal times, and just above everyone one on her list of friends.

Ayumi rubbed her eyes and looked again, and again, "..E..Emi? Emi Hamano?" Ayumi stammered.

Emi too seemed shocked, her eyes widened slightly and her hand rose to her mouth. "Ayumi Fujiwara? You are the trespasser?" She asked.

"Ayumi, you know her?" Falcomon interjected.

"You could say that…" Ayumi answered. Emi was one of those girls that she never liked, she was too girly for her tastes. But even she had to admit that Emi had been recently a lot more tolerably then she had when she first came to the school. The girl was all show and hollow on the inside, it took a whole year for her to adjust to the real school experience. Needless to say, Ayumi probably didn't help matters.

"Why are you here, Emi?" Ayumi finally asked after an tense silence.

"I got a report from the guards of someone slinking about. I didn't want to bother anyone, so I told them to let them pass and that I would deal with the problem." Emi answered.

"Okay, Emi!" Ayumi pointed her finger at the Hamano, "Who is the Dragon's Champion and where is he?!" Ayumi assumed that since Emi was here that she knew the answer.

Emi seemed puzzled and she looked to Salamon, who continued to be silent, "What do you need to see Shingen for?"

Ayumi's mouth dropped again, "Sh-Shingen's here too?" Ayumi slapped her forehead with her right hand with a groan.

_Just great! First the perfect girl shows up and now her prodigy of a boyfriend is shown to be here as well! What's next? Our whole class popping up!?_

"So Shi-" Ayumi stopped momentarily and a though struck her, like lightning, "What?! Shingen is the Dragon's Champion?!"

"Yes, that is what his troops call him for a reason I haven't been able to determine." Emi answered.

Ayumi took a step back and shook her head, "No…no…so that is why Karatenmon was so excited about sending me here!" Ayumi's shoulders slouched and she continued to shake her head.

_I have to kill Shingen….and if I don't then Riku…_

"Ayumi…" Falcomon came over to his partner and put a wing on her back.

"Is something wrong, Ayumi?" Emi asked, looked to Salamon who just shook her head with the same puzzled look on her face that Emi herself had. "Ayumi, why are you here?"

Ayumi sighed and looked straight at the princess, "I was told that in order to save my friend I had to eliminate the Dragon's Champion." She said quickly, spitting the words out of her mouth so she didn't have to taste the words.

"Oh, is that all?" Emi replied casually, walking over and putting herself between Ayumi and the door at the end of the hall, Salamon following.

"Oh? That's all you can say? Aren't you angry or something!?" Ayumi roared.

"Hmm, should we be, Salamon?" Emi asked her partner.

The rookie happily shook her head, barked, and leapt up in front of Emi, "Nope! Cause all we have to do is protect Shingen and everything will be okay!"

"But if we don't complete our mission then our friends get hurt!" Falcomon protested.

"And if we fail then my boyfriend, and Salamon's friend, gets hurt." Emi said, with a sympathetic tone emanating from her words. "We can't let you pass here."

Ayumi shook her fist at the girl, "Why are you always so proper! Why don't you do something for yourself for once and not what is expected of you!? Why don't you let Shingen come out here and fight his own battles!" Ayumi fumed.

Emi chuckled, "He's so intent on his goals that he forgets to eat and sleep sometimes... I find him sprawled over his maps, his toy pieces scattered everywhere, as he plans his next move." Emi chuckled again, "He tries so hard to protect everyone…that he sometimes forgets to take care of himself, he such a lost cause."

"So we'll protect him, from the things he can't protect himself from!" Salamon barked, crouching down on all fours.

Emi closed her eyes and nodded, "That's right." She opened her eyes and locked them on Ayumi's face, "I may not be able to lead armies, I may not be able to change this world like he can, but at least I can protect him, at least I can do that!"

Ayumi grunted and dug her feet into the ground, "Well, I too have a friend that I have to protect! I never break a promise to a friend! Never." She cut the air with her hand, "Falcomon!"

"Right!" Falcomon reached deep into himself and found a spark, a small flame of power inside his being. He reached for it and then reached to Ayumi. A connection was made and the flame grew into a roaring fire, and power coursed through his veins.

"Falcomon digivolve too…Peckmon!" The rookie glowed and transformed into its champion form. He ducked his head and prepared to fight. The two, during their travels towards Kassel, had spent many hours trying to master digivolution and, finally, the result was a successful digivolution at any time needed. Ayumi had noticed that neither of them had as much fatigue as they used to have, and certaintly not as bad as Tommy, Riku, and Taiki had.

Emi looked saddened at the prospect of fighting but her face was resolute, "Very well. I, as the future wife of Shingen Takeda, will protect him with all that I am! Salamon!"

Emi's body began to glow a light red, which slowly and surely consumed the room with a warm embrace. Salamon barked as she reached for her own flame, magnified by Emi's own heart. The rookie began to glow.

"Salamon digivolve too…d'Arcmon!" The glowing rookie began to radically change shape and when she burst out for her golden cocoon. It was an angel women with four wings, garbed in a fashion similar to an Amazon women. On her waist hung two broad swords.

"On your guard." d'Arcmon stated cooly as she pulled her twin swords from there sheaths while lifting herself into the air.

"I have to beat you for Riku!" Peckmon chirped.

_Yeah…easier said then done. _Ayumi knew that through that door Shingen was there, the Dragon's Champion. But…could she really do it? She was only ten years old after all, could she really go through the act and destroy the life of another for the sake of a friend?

"Here I come!" d-Arcmon whispered as she gracefully descended on Peckmon, who began his own charge towards the champion level angel.

_Dad…what should I do?_

_------------------_

**Central Territory - Day 6 - 8:00 PM**

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

_Uh…my head…_

Tommy's eyes opened slightly, the darkness parting as his eyes caught the light from a few candles. He was…in a tent of some kind. He tried to move but his body refused to let him, he must have been trashed by…

"_Here I come!" _

Tommy jerked. That's right, Kaito and his partner, Gaomon, attacked him and his partner. They completely destroyed them, it was like they were playing with rag dolls and easily pushed them aside. Tommy's head ached as he recalled the scene, both him and Commandramon were totaled.

_Uh…wait…Commandramon!_

"Ugh…ehh…" Tommy moaned as he tried to move his body again.

"Well," the sound of approaching footsteps filtered into Tommy's ears and he painfully shifted his head to the other side and caught the image of his attacker, "Look who's returned to the world of the living…well as much alive as anyone can be in this place." Kaito remarked.

"Where…Commandramon…" Tommy struggled to speak, still trying to figure out if he was bound or just too tired and beaten to move.

"Hey, hey, don't move. We've had a rough trip and haven't been able to treat you very well." Kaito said as he crouched down in front of Tommy.

"Why…?"

Kaito laughed softly, "Don't you worry about that." He stood and nodded to Tommy, "When its time, I'll explain everything." The egotist then turned and walked out of Tommy's sight, moments latter the flapping of a tents entrance was heard and Tommy knew that he was alone.

…_Commandramon…wait for me…_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**A/N: **_Alright! The chapter is finally done and I am very pleased with it! It's probably one of my favorites, thus far. A good bit going on in this chapter, even though there is only half of the kids being shown! We have a web folks, and the strings only get more tangled, I assure you!

Sorry that I don't update as much I as used too, with so many characters running about and many different things going on I have to take more time to sit back and make the dots and then connect them, for a short or long term plot.

Well, anyway, I hope my readers continue to read this! Ayumi gets a lot of shine in this way, and Emi gets her first stage in the light too. With Salamon digivolving into d'Arcmon (Who I will give a full description of next chapter), I did that just to have a tiny break from all the other normal evolutionary lines of digivolution, and as a hint to Emi's inner character as well!

As always, sorry for typos, I really do the best I can with them with only one person helping with proofs! So I hope you enjoy this installment of my story! Read and review please!

-Arc.


	13. A Troubled Night

Chapter 12: A Troubled Night

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Western/Central Territory Border - Day 7 - 2:00 AM**

_**POV: Kaito Akimoto**_

Kaito mumbled to himself as he stared at the roof of his tent. He looked to the side and watched his partner, Gaomon, roll over on his side and grumble irritably. He tugged on his sleeveless tee as if it were the source of his fustrations. His brown eyes burned with weariness that it could not appease.

They were in a mad dash back to the West, with news of a Southern invasion catching their ears. Kaito cursed his own bad fortune for being forced to turn back and reinforce Leomon who was sent to deal with the invaders, the first real attempt by the South since the stoning of the Great Plains. But forced they were and tomorrow they began anew.

He mumbled to himself some more. He was satisfied with his results from his test on Tommy but he had failed in his secondary goal, one he failed to mention to Baihumon, not that it concerned the over regulated God to begin with. At least, it didn't affect him directly.

He closed his eyes and thought back to that place, deep in the confines of the capital building in the Iron Village. Beyond a hidden door, found completely by luck, was a mural depicting a prophecy of a kind. Kaito recognized it instantly, it was a replica of what Jijimon showed him when he first came to this world.

Kaito was the first to appear in this world, or so Jijmon said, and because of that the two spent a lot of time figuring out what the mural stated. The mural lead to Kaito creating Gaomon, to learning how he can help Gaomon digivolve, and a little of their destiny there. It would also make greeting the other kids smoother for Jijimon himself.

_Let's see…what did it say again…_

_**In the Age of Rebirth the world will be thrust into a struggle of Chaos and Order…**_

_**From the Land of Creators, nine will come with the**__** key...**_

_**When surrounding the Guiding Light.**_

At that point the mural that Jijimon showed him was destroyed and completely ruined by some outside force, only the last sentence was complete and unscathed. Thankfully there was pictures and only descriptions that helped in the knowledge of the Power of Heart, and the creation of the partner digimon. Kaito went away from that place with dissapointment…until he came to the West.

In the capital he found another mural, with what looked to be a piece of the prophecy. Kaito remembered spending two whole days going over every inch of the stone slab to make heads or tails of it. It seemed that only digimon could understand the language on it though, so Gaomon had to do all the translating.

_**The battle divided, between the Sword and the Shield, marked by Fate…**_

_**The Sword shall strike the Shield, and the Shield shall repel the Sword…**_

_**The Heroes will decide the fate of the world, between Light and Dark.**_

It was fairly obvious that this piece of the prophecy was not the next piece in the puzzle, but perhaps closer to the end, before the other piece, or maybe something completely different altogether. Kaito had hoped to find another mural in the East if possible…but duty called him back.

The question was, what did it mean by divided between the Sword and the Shield? Perhaps the Sword represented those that waged and continued the war, while the Shield attempted to end the war. But if that was so then why would any of the other kids choose to further the war? Did it pertain to the kids at all? Also, because of the destruction the lines might be in the wrong place, thus misleading anyone who hopes to learn something.

_Perhaps the Shield and Sword is pointing to the four Gods? The West and South have both been highly aggressive, perhaps meaning the Sword? Which would mean that the East and North, largely on the defensive, is the Shield…_

Kaito rolled over again, his auburn hair ruffling slightly and his dark skin catching the candle light as he racked his brain for some sense of the prophecy.

_Whatever the case, the Heroes, us kids I guess, are the key to everything. Besides that, I have to remember that none of the pieces were complete, none of the sentences were ever complete, but rather fragments, minus the one that was complete, so it might be impossible to figure anything out at all. The Sword will attack the Shield while it defends…and then what? And in what order were the pieces in? And what is the guiding light?_

Kaito rolled once more in a frustrated state.

_Someone must have gone through the trouble of destroying these things…the question is who and why?_

Kaito sighed, it wasn't like him to be so worried about something. Whether he knew the prophecy or not changed very little in what he had to do. He had to somehow help the West win this war and get back home. That was his only goal right now.

He just hoped that the prophecy was not crucial to end this war…

-------------------------

**Western Territory - Great Plains- Day 7 - 5:00 AM**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

_Alright, just a bit closer…_

Riku watched carefully from a safe distance as the battle began to turn against him and Karatenmon's forces. The advance group began to retreat as they were confronted with a vicious initial attack by the Beast army, not going to give anything to the South without data to be dispersed. The memory of their ravished land and destroyed comrades was still fresh in their minds and they were not going to give an inch without a fight.

"Now, light the fires now." Riku muttered emotionlessly. He felt bad for them on the inside but on the outside he had to remain cold, as a bully should be when pushing around his prey. That's how Riku saw has to see this war, as a game of using the other bullies in a way to make the whimps like Taiki obey. One had to do such things in order to cope with what one must do.

A squad of Birdramon swooped in and rained fire down on plains, raising a wall of fire behind them, cutting off the advance party from the reinforcements coming to support them. The main force, which Leomon sent to deal with the attackers, while he himself was keeping to his camp for fear of a sneak attack, gave a mighty roar and charged forward, braving the fires and reaching their comrades.

Riku sighed, it was sad enough that Leomon had only one Beast battalion to command but without him they were just too easy to predict. Riku nodded to the person next to him a signal was fired.

"Let's go Dracmon." Riku murmured as he began to jog down to the battle as his trap was sprung. With a wall of fire to their backs and no where to retreat too the advance force turned about as the main force rose into the air. A massive number of bird digimon swooped in to drop their allies who could not fly on the ground while others, like the Birdramon, continued their attacks.

"Losers!" Dracmon cried as he looked to Riku.

Riku nodded and closed his eyes and sought within himself that feeling that he found when fighting Muysamon. He tried to find that desire to rise up and succeed, to surpass Tommy. But it wasn't there anymore. The anger was no longer there.

Riku had realized this problem some time ago and was becoming frustrated with it. He had nothing to use to draw power from. What was once a well of power was not dry and dead to him. He needed a new goal, something to burn inside him.

Riku felt a shuffling and a moving figure close in on him. The bully had barely anytime to turn around before a shadow descended on him.

"RIKU!" Dracmon cried.

Riku's eyes shot open and he found himself safe, alive, and in his tent. He looked at himself bundled in a makeshift sleeping bag and ran hand through his slick hair. It was a dream.

_Why am I having this dream? Is it trying to tell me something?_

Riku shuddered. His dream, one recurring since joining Karatenmon, involving him dying, apparently, during one of his plans. The scary part was that the said plan was one he was actually wanting to use. Thus far Karatenmon's army had only minor skirmishes with Leomon's men and nothing major, it was Riku's idea to divide the beast army and it seemed to be working in his dream…

_But why can't I get Dracmon to digivolve in my dream? Have I really lost my ability to make Dracmon stronger?_

The dreams forced the question into Riku's head harshly. He thought that his original reasons would be enough but this dream was beginning to show him his flaw…the flaw being that he was doing it mechanically. The strategies, plans, and everything else was with no passion or heart at all. Riku could only assume that he made himself cold so that Karetenmon couldn't get to him, but it must have also shut off his ability to reach inside himself.

Riku had thought of a solution obviously, he needed a method to reach inside himself that did not conflict with his need to be detached from Karatenmon. The problem was finding said method, reason, etc. Riku was a selfish sort and being compassionate, caring, hopeful, and other benevolent feelings were not something he was accustom to, nor would it help him deal with Karatenmon. It was total selfish desire that allowed Dracmon to digivolve in the first place, yet without Tommy that was taken away from him.

Riku laid back down and closed his eyes, it was obvious that things were going to have to change inside of him if he wanted to accomplish his goals. He needed Dracmon strong but in order for that he, himself, needed to be strong as well.

The question was how?

--------------------------

**Eastern Territory - Kassel- Day 6 - 10:00 PM**

_**POV: Emi Hamano**_

"Kunai Feathers!"

"Hmph!"

Emi stepped back timidly as Peckmon began to throw sharp bladed feathers from her hands towards her champion level partner, d'Arcmon. The angel digimon's swords blazed as they intercepted the projectiles while she moved herself out of the range of fire.

_Please be careful, d'Arcmon._

It was Salamon's and Emi's secret, the ability to reach the champion level. She had been meaning to save it so she could surprise Shingen and perhaps garner a little attention from him, but this seemed like a better use for it.

Even though she had seen Salamon's champion level before she still looked at her in awe. Four golden wings, hair, and golden armor on her legs, forearms, face, and chest. She wore a Indian looking cloth that descended from her waist to her knees, and a red scarf covering her head, neck, and the tail trailing down to her stomach. Perhaps what Emi liked the most was her dual swords, which seemed to give her a look of independence, and a staff that floated nearby if not being used, as it was doing so now.

"Feel the sting of my Baptême d'Amour!" d'Arcmon hollered as she descended on Peckmon who seemed to be little impressed.

"Hah! You'll have to get through my Thousand Beak!" A burst of energy emerged from the bird champion and soon multitudes of Peckmon's began to appear all over the place, in the air, on the ground, some even on the walls!

"Look out d'Arcmon!" Emi cried to her partner.

"Yes, get 'em Peckmon!" Ayumi cheered to her own partner.

The small army of Peckmon began to massive attack on d'Arcmon, using numbers to overwhelmed the angel digimon. She threw one of her swords towards a Peckmon while reaching out for her staff. The object shook and responded to the call, vanishing, and reappearing in the hands of its wielder.

"Come at me!" d'Arcmon cried, waving her staff to and fro as it sent energy waves from the symbol on the staff with each swing, and for every fake Peckmon it struck it vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You can't stop us all!" The dwindling group of Peckmon hollered as they began to close in rapidly on the struggling champion digimon.

"d'Arcmon!" Emi cried as she saw her partner blinded sided by one of the many cloned Peckmon's. The angel began to fall but the assault continued as Peckmon after Peckmon bombarded the champion with beak, talon, and feather alike.

_Oh no, I didn't think we'd have to deal with anyone this strong!_

Emi's mind went into overtime. This was there first fight, they had never been in battle and Emi was now berating herself for choosing this time to make their first battle. The thought of losing now, without ever getting a chance to prove herself was tyrannical to her mind and she began to wish she had not taken on this responsibility.

"Oof!" d'Arcmon muttered as she hit the ground. The numerous Peckmon's began to vanish one by one, their use being over with.

"Is that all? You sure seemed tougher before we fought!" Peckmon taunted gleefully.

"Yes!" Ayumi jumped into the air, ecstatic about the apparent victory, forgetting the entire reason for why the fight was being fought in the first place.

Emi dashed over to her partner and kneeled down next to her, "Are you okay, d'Arcmon?"

The champion struggled to its feet and gave a painful nod, "I'm not done yet, Emi, just wait…" d'Arcmon grunted as she stood up on shaky feet as she retrieved her two swords. "Now, I go for the finish! La Pucelle!" d'Arcmon zoomed towards Peckmon, her two blades shining and leaving a trail of sparkles as they passed through the air.

"It's over! Stop fighting!" Peckmon pleaded.

"No, we aren't done yet!" d'Arcmon protested, raising its shining blades into the sky.

Peckmon sighed and sprang towards d'Arcmon while spinning his body around, "Spiral Claw!" Peckmon's foot lashed out, catching the inexperienced d'Arcmon off guard and nailing the champion squarely in the torso. Emi could only watch as her partner was driven back by the blow and then, after a skip along the floor, de-digivolve into her rookie stage.

"Salamon!" Cried as she dashed forwards to her partner. "Oh, Salamon, I'm so sorry!" Emi wiped the tears that had started to fall from her eyes, dampening her skirt and pants. Emi took Salamon into her lap and gripped the rookie tightly, choosing not to acknowledge Ayumi and her victorious partner digimon.

_Why? Why did I have to make you fight…I should have known it would end this way…I just don't have strength like Shingen's._

Salamon coughed and wiggled its way out of Emi's grasp, due to her being surprised the rookie could even move.

"Salamon, are you okay?" Emi asked as she watched her partner step forward, getting down on all fours herself to get a better look at her partner.

"I'm….just…fine." Salamon panted, "I'm…not…done…y-yet." She protested as she began to move towards Peckmon weakly.

"It's over! Stop fighting us!" Ayumi commanded, "Stop her, Emi! The fight is over!"

"No, Salamon don't! " Emi begged of the rookie.

"No! We can't keep running away when things get hard, Emi, we have to…keep trying." Salamon refuted.

"But…"

"Here, I come!" Salamon roared weakly as it bolted towards Peckmon.

"Get back, Ayumi!" Peckmon hollered as it lunged to meet Salamon, in defense of his partner.

"Don't, Peckmon!" Ayumi cried. "She can't harm us anymore!"

_I wish that was true, Ayumi! But you're not a digimon, she could hurt you! _Peckmon told himself as he closed the gap and prepared to strike at the attacking digimon.

"No!" Both females called out in horror.

An exchange of attacks and two surprised gasps filled the room. Emi moved her hands from her eyes and dropped to her knees, Ayumi took a quick step back and her head darted from one side to the other.

"You know…." A voice sounded, "You two were making a massive amount of noise…" The door at the end of the hall closed and Shingen turned around to face the group with half awake eyes.

Between Peckmon and Salamon had appeared Dinohyumon who intercepted Peckmon's attack and blocked off Salamon. In a rush of surprise Peckmon hurled himself away from the unexpected enemy and returned to Ayumi's side. Dinohyumon picked up an unconscious Salamon and returned her to Emi.

"Shi-Shingen…" Emi stuttered as she took Salamon into her arms, bringing the rookie to her chest. She was bruised in multiple places but had all her data intact. She would live.

Shingen yawned sleepily and looked at the scene as if it weren't real, "So…" Shingen yawned again, his lack of sleep costing him his normal flash and grandeur, and it showed on his face as he stared dejectedly at the group, "Anyone want to fill me in..? Hi, Ayumi." Shingen waved to his classmate slowly.

"Uh…Hi, Shingen." Ayumi started to wave back before realizing what she was doing and stop herself mid-wave and stammered back, "Are you really the Dragon's Champion?!"

Shingen blinked, yawned, and blinked again, "Uh…yeah, that's what they call me."

Ayumi's looked at Shingen and then to Emi where her eyes stayed. The entire atmosphere went from extreme life and death tension to a stale, dirty, feeling in the air. Whatever drive or motive Ayumi had to attack Shingen was destroy. How could she attack a person half asleep and completely unaware of himself and those around him? How could she attack again when Emi was almost in tears.

In a sudden flash Ayumi's eyes widened and she turned to the door leading downstairs, "Peckmon, lets go. We're done here." It was obvious she was bothered by something that had just occured to her.

Peckmon looked to his partner, back to Dinohyumon, and back again before slowly slinking towards his partners side. Once at the door Ayumi and Peckmon looked back at the four. They looked for only a moment before leaving as silently, or as noisily as they had come.

"Should we let them leave?" Dinohyumon asked.

"It's okay…" Emi said as she stood up, "They'll be back I'm sure. We only to wait." Emi rushed to say as she fled from the hallway and into her room, too ashamed to meet Shingen's eyes, half dead or no.

This was not how the girl wanted her first battle to go, and it was not how she wanted Shingen to see it.

-------------------

**Eastern Territory - Kassel- Day 6 - 11:00 PM**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

Down the stairs, past the sentries as unnoticed as they could make themselves, and to the lowest parts of the castle, the dungeons. Peckmon and reverted to its rookie stage to make itself easier to hide and maneuver. The rookie was concerned by her partners sudden leave of the room when Shingen had appeared. Didn't they have the advantage after all?

"Ayumi! Wait up!" Falcomon called as he flew in front of his partner. "…Ayumi…" The rookie whispered.

His normally tough partner, who never let anyone get anything past her, was in a fit of tears. The fifth graders collapsed to her knees as the sobs began to take control of her body from her.

Falcomon landed and walked over to Ayumi to try and comfort her as best as he knew how to, which was very little due to a lack of situations that required such knowledge. Ayumi began to sniff loudly as she rubbed her eyes.

"What are we doing?" Ayumi stuttered, "We're trying to kill someone! We almost killed Emi's partner digimon!"

"Ayumi, we didn't have any choice…" Falcomon tried to soothe, and in a flash Ayumi had the rookie in both hands.

"What if it had been us that was beat?! What if it was you that got beat and not d'Arcmon!" She confessed, "I didn't realize it until now…we….we…." Ayumi gave up trying to speak as her sobs became more violent.

Falcomon bowed his head and looked at his partner sadly. What could he tell her? They were in a world where the strongest lived while the weakest…didn't.

_Why were we brought here? We're just kids…we can't be expected to fight wars! I can't…I can't…Riku, I'm so sorry, I just can't!_

Ayumi turned her back on her partner as she tried to control herself. Her silent moment was interrupted by a loud creaking of the dungeon door opening and two figures walking down the steps into the dungeon. Falcomon turned to face them while Ayumi refused to meet their gaze.

"What do you want?" Falcomon snapped, forgetting that they were in enemy territory.

"Watch your tongue, trespassers." A rookie stage Dinohyumon, Kotemon, barked.

Shingen yawned and waved his hand, "Peace, Kotemon." Shingen stepped forward and cleared his voice, the sleep was removed from his eyes and features, "We just want to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you." Ayumi muttered from her sitting position.

"I think we could come to an-"

"I don't want to talk to you!" Ayumi yelled at the top of her lungs, turning her face towards them, the column of light brought in by the opening of the dungeon door revealed her face to Shingen who flinched unnoticeably, he could not show weakness in public, but his heart hurt from the pain ridden face of a classmate, though he didn't know her well.

Some of Ayumi's hair had escaped from her ponytail, tears smeared her face, her eyes were swollen from being rubbed too hard, and her body still shook from her continual sobbing. Not too many boys got to see girls in this state, or if they did they usually got lots of random objects thrown at them to go away. But it was an entirely other thing to see the infamous Fujiwara, the tomboy who was tougher then most of the real boys, on her knees crying. It was…unheard of.

Shingen took a step back, thought for a moment before sighing and turned around. He walked up the stairs and to the door, Kotemon following. Shingen's steps were heavy and he seemed to have some sort of conflict within himself.

"Tomorrow then." Shingen proclaimed.

"What?" Falcomon barked.

"You made an attempt on Shingen's life," Kotemon clarified harshly, "You are prisoners here. You will not leave until Shingen says so." Kotemon then shooed Shingen through the door and slammed the door behind him, returning the dungeon to darkness. Shingen was able to get through a 'sorry' before being pushed completely out. Once they had left only the few small openings in the rock walls allowed moonlight in.

Falcomon ran back to his partner and knelt next to her, "Come on, Ayumi, we have to get out of here!"

Ayumi shook her head and wiped her eyes as fresh tears began to fall. The strong outer shell Ayumi Fujiwara was broken by a sudden realization of the consequences of all that she had done. The death of Leomon's men and the extermination of the bird squad, the defeat of the DarkTyranomon, Musyamon, she helped in some way to delete them all. All of it, realized by the look on Emi's face, the face of another human's face. It took one of her own kind to make the connection, but made it was...and it hurt.

"We've done horrible things, Falcomon…" Ayumi sobbed, "We've done such terrible things!"

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**A/N**: This is my darkest chapter thus far, and one of my shorter... wow that sounded Emo, XD. (Not that I have anything against Emo's, so don't get all willy on me.) While writing this I have to constantly remind myself of their age and try to think of what kids their age would think and do. Obviously a few of my characters are more mature then others, but for the most part I try to make them as believable as possible.

That said, I have to be honest, kids going through the 4th through 9th grade years know those were years of high emotions, at least from my experiences. The little things set kids off and the big things started avalanches, and some of the things brought out the very worst in us. So while doing this I try to think of what these kids would do, I want them to have more then just a constant personality, like the hero that does what is right no matter what happens. I want them to weaknesses, strengths, flaws, and so on. I try to bring it out a bit here, obviously with Riku and Kaito in past chapters, and a little more with Shingen now who has a small show of a colder side, keeping a weeping Ayumi in a dungeon for safe keeping. On the other end of the spectrum I have Ayumi who is my example of being more then just a stubborn tomboy, but who is also a person who realizes things and feels guilt for things done wrong even though they may have been for a greater good. My goal is to show the good and bad in each of the children shown in my story, as we all have our good and bad qualities.

So at this point I have two arcs for this story, though I might break the second one into two to make three story arcs. The current Arc, the Prophecy Arc, started roughly when Kaito was introduced though you wouldn't have noticed it until this chapter. I spent a lot of time thinking on the prophecy and I'm still not completely happy with it, and since I tend to think of betters ideas as I go on I might edit it, though it won't be too drastic I'm sure. So if I edit anything I'll be sure to let you know. I'm sure lots of you will have speculation on what the prophecy foretells as we get further into this story arc.

But anyway, as always I apologize for typos and such. My internet is down so its only me this time around with proofing. I'll have to go to the library to post this chapter so if its not as clean as the previous ones I really am sorry, blame wireless internet for dying on me!

Read and review please! And thanks for all the support!

-Arc


	14. A Battle for Hope

Chapter 13: A Battle for Hope

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 11:00 AM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

A day had passed since Taiki told his story to the Lord of the North, Ebonwumon. The mighty digimon had quickly taken stock of his options and in the end asked if Taiki would lend his strength to the protection of the great forests the, Central, Western, and Eastern Terminal forests as they were most commonly known. Taiki quickly swore an oath to lend all of his power to the defense of the Terminal forests as long as he drew breath. Taiki was now an official member of the Northern Resistance forces, lead by Ebonwumon.

He had spent his time up to this point getting used to his new surroundings and within a day he felt at home in this strange and bizarre forest inhabited by creatures of many sizes, shapes, and form. In the jungle type forest Taiki had found a sort of freedom he had not had since his youth…and with his grandfather.

It was in this short peaceful time that Taiki remembered his grandfather most and thought back on how his grandfather had given him strength to defeat the DarkTyranomon that had threatened the forest days earlier.

As the morning light shown down from an almost noon sun, Taiki stared up through the leaves from the hammock he was currently using he thought back to those times, back when his only care in the world was when the next meal was going to be served. It seemed like a small eternity ago.

**::FLASHBACK::**

When Taiki was born his father and mother had financial difficulties and worse yet his father had to be sent out of the country for a time, as part of his fathers military service. Because Taiki's parents had conceived him at a young age the boy was given to his grandfather until the parents were more stable and able to care for the child. Taiki's grandfather welcomed the chance to spend time with his only grandson.

Taiki was three when he first met his grandfather, on a small reservation that he owned. It was a forest area set aside when his grandfather had succeeded in gaining a piece of land for himself to protect a piece of Japan's natural beauty from the ever industrializing Japan. It was not unlike in other countries where people did the same thing, to preserve the wildlife or the beauty of nature. Taiki's grandfather, Mako, allowed his land to also acted as a wildlife preserve, which may have been what really got him the rights to the acres in the first place.

Nonetheless, Mako loved the forests and its creatures and it wasn't long before his grandson began to take after his only parental figure and see nature as a beautiful and sacred thing to be respected and treated as one would an elderly person. Mako taught Taiki that the forest is to be looked on as an elder, for it was here long before humans and should be given its dues properly. It was one of the lessons Taiki never forgot.

During the five years of his stay Taiki became everything that he was today. With his grandfather as his only constant human contact he grew timid around strangers and grew instead into a quiet, observant, and peaceful person. When Taiki was moved to the city his upbringing caused him to have massive culture shock and it wouldn't be until he met Tommy that Taiki would finally began to adapt enough to feel some sort of belonging.

During this time Mako was, without a doubt, Taiki hero and he would have stayed with him probably until much later had not the tragedy occurred that stripped him from Taiki. After four years of living with his grandfather a suit came along that called into the question the advantages of keeping that land, that was near Tokyo, as a reservation and brought up the useful that it could give to the ever expanding city.

Taiki stood by his grandfather through the situation but understood little due to his age. All he knew was that his grandfather had lost and he instantly saw a change in his hero, one that he would never recover from.

Three months after the case was settled Taiki was forced the watch the beginning stages of the forest being torn down and at the same time the deteriorating of his grandfather. Mako seemed to have lost his strength and will to live and soon fell very ill, to the point where Taiki's mother took time from work to tend to him.

Two months later Mako had died in his sleep. Taiki was fortunate be at with his grandfather just before his last sleep and he received from him his final words, words that would stay with him for years to come.

"_**I lived for the hope that my forest would always be around…and I have no regrets. Taiki, my beloved grandson, if you learn anything from me, let it be this; always fight for your hopes and dreams, because without them you life loses meaning. No matter what the world may throw at you, never, never, lose hope. Whatever that hope is, hold on to it, always."**_

Mako was buried two days later and Taiki returned with his mother to Tokyo where a hard time waited for him until his fateful encounter with Tommy Draggers.

**::ENDFLASHBACK::**

Taiki stared up at the sky, the beautiful noon sun and smiled.

_I hope you're happy Grandpa. _Taiki removed himself from his hammock and stared over the endless forest with a kind of happy determination.

_I want this forest to be safe. I won't lose hope that it one day will be so…just like you wanted your forest to be. Watch over me Grandpa, mine, and your, hope will be my strength._

Taiki looked into to the forest ground and his head dashed up to the sky when a shadow passed over the forest, as if an foreshadowing of something to come. As Taiki squinted his eyes towards the sun he caught the sight of a figure and the thought that passed through his head made him laugh at himself.

There was simply no way.

_----------------_

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 11:00 AM**

_**POV: Michiko Hasegawa**_

"Ah, a bright new day!" Michiko stated as she stood watching the rising sun as it neared it midday mark. Her partner, Lalamon, stood sleepily at her side as they looked at the forest city from the ground level.

"Come on, Lalamon, time to wake up!" Michiko cheered her partner to rid herself of her sleepiness.

Lalamon grumbled angrily and made some sort of strange answer that didn't sound like any language Michiko knew.

The day after Taiki talked with Ebonwumon was the day that Lalamon and Michiko showed Taiki the entire forest village, the entire Central forest that is, and it was Michiko that kept the three, Taiki, Kudamon, and Lalamon, up all night talking about anything and everything. Lalamon knew it was probably because her partner had been lacking in human contact and Taiki's appearance had really put her in a good mood. But that didn't change the fact that Lalamon personally felt very tired today and wanted nothing more then to sleep.

Too bad her partner didn't understand that not everyone ran on an everlasting battery with some sort of sugar or energy to fuel their sleep deprived body.

After a brief silent moment Michiko lifted her partner digimon into her arms and went to the basket that would raise her into the upper levels of the city to meet Taiki. They had planned to hang out like they did before if nothing came up sooner. Hopefully, things stayed peaceful for a few days.

As the basket rose Michiko started thinking on her life as a student in her own world. Star track and soccer player of the elementary level, which really wasn't saying much, but she was also the best in her recreational soccer team and she had lots of trophies. She was also an above average student but hardly the brightest, that would go to the boyfriend of Michiko's best friend, Emi Hamano. But then again Emi's boyfriend, Shingen, was good at about everything academically, to the point where she wondered if he was even human, a point that Emi took offense to on many occasions even though Michiko didn't mean it with any real venom.

Michiko was well liked in school she supposed and constantly had to carry out a bat to beat the boys that were always pestering her. Honestly, she didn't understand why they were interested in dating at such a young age, she was definitely not about to get tied down to some boy at ten years old! Nope, not this girl, this girl was independent, I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T. No exceptions allowed, not even for prince charming.

_Speaking of boys…_

Michiko thought about when how she knew Taiki in school. They had class together but she couldn't recall ever spending any time with him other then the occasional bumping in the halls between classes and even those times usually didn't last long because he was so shy and quiet. Now that Michiko thought about it, yesterday was the only real time that she had ever actually recognized him as living, he was always there but kind of invisible. That thought made her sad, to think of a person as non-existent was mean and un-cool, she'd have to make it up to him on their outing today.

It seemed that Michiko had a lot to do today and with a look to the sky she caught the sight of a flying beast dash across the sky, emblazoned by the rising midday sun. As she strained her eyes she thougth she caught the image of the impossible. She, like Taiki, laughed at herself for the thought.

…_No way, it can't be._

------------------

**Eastern Territory- Kassel - Day 7 - 9:00 AM**

_**POV: Shingen Takeda**_

_Lets see…how to go about this…_

Shingen sighed in defeat as he stood outside Emi's door, wondering how to approach her after the incident from the night before. All the things he knew helped him absolutely none in this situation and his mother never told him how to deal with women, much less a ten year old girl who's emotions ran high and self-esteem was weak.

Shingen had lost track of how many times he tried to tell her that she needed to stop worrying what other people thought about her and just be herself. He had also lost track of how many times she said she would try, only to go back to her old ways once things got hard. She was a turtle who did not want to poke her head out of her shell.

_Maybe she needs a vacation, _Shingen joked to himself to lighten his mood when an idea struck him, _Wait, a vacation! Yes! _Shingen knocked on the door vigorously and after a moment of silence the door was opened by Emi who immediately moved away from Shingen and went over to a chair by the left most window.

"Did you sleep well Emi?" Shingen began, when he got no response he decided to continue, "Uh, Emi, you shouldn't feel bad about last night. Stuff like that happens, its part of learning, the mistakes are just as important as the victories."

He saw her wince a the word mistake, and her wince made him wince.

_Bad word choice._

"Well…anyway, I need someone to leave the country on a mission and I was wondering-"

"You want me to do it? To leave?" Emi interrupted, with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"No! Not leave, I trust you to do the job is all!"

Emi huffed loudly and with an air of defiance, toward whom Shingen couldn't put his finger on, Emi marched towards her bed and began pulling things out from underneath, a bag she made herself, and numerous other items she had picked up or made herself during their time in the Digimon world.

Salamon trotted into the room at this time, her wounds healed beautifully over the night and she was up and around like a champ by the time Emi woke up this morning.Assessing the situation and taking quick stock of her options, knowing full well of Emi's explosive emotions, she thought it would be best to stand completely still and hope her skin tone blended well with the stone walls.

"Emi… are you--"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Emi snapped as she stuffed things into her bag hastily. She stomped to the door and turned her head to Shingen, "So, what is it we're doing?" Emi demanded as she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and dusted her skirt off.

Shingen gulped and put his words into a tactful arrangement before beginning to tell Emi what he 'would like' her to do for him. Emi listened patiently, or apparently patiently, and as soon as the words were dispensed with she, along with her partner, stormed out of the castle and made a beeline for her destination.

Shingen stood on the second level balcony watching the two vanish from sight. Shingen ran a hand through his brown hair and he rubbed his blue eyes wondering if this was the best course of action.

"Well, what do you think, Kotemon?" Shingen asked of his partner, sensing his approach. The rookie ceased his hiding and came around the corner and stood at his partners side on the balcony.

"Well, I think it will be good for her and us. We will further our goals and perhaps, just perhaps, Emi will find something she's looking for." The samurai rookie optimistically hoped.

Shingen nodded and his blue eyes blinked as the morning sun caught his eye brutally. He shielded his eyes with his right hand as he looked to the distance where Emi and Salamon were no longer within sight.

"Alright, we have two prisoners to interrogate today. Let's get it over with." Shingen decided after a moment of thought.

Kotemon voiced his agreement and followed his partner as they descended to the dungeon level.

_----------------_

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 12:00 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

"I didn't think Digimon had such good food!" Taiki exclaimed as he stuffed an odd pink, bread looking, food substance into his mouth and chewed with an ecstatic look on his face. Taiki blinked in confusion when Michiko started to laugh at him before pointing to his face.

"You've got it all over your mouth Taiki!"

Taiki laughed and wiped his face of the bread, which Michiko called it since it most closely resembled the human food named as such, and it was easier to remember that way.

"Munchie, munchie!" Kudamon squealed as it nibbled on his own piece of pink bread, Lalamon sat next to the ferret, having finally gained Kudamon's trust. She too had a piece for herself.

The four were having a picnic of sorts in a fantastic tree house, or it would be called so in the human world, in the Digimon world this massive hollowed out tree served a look out tower, since it was near the forests edge, and it served as a way to spot enemy attacks from afar. It was this very kind of tree that allowed Apemon to respond to the DarkTyranomon attack from before. They sat at the top of the tree which was flat, with protective railings surrounding the four sided platform.

Michiko finished her lunch and fiddled with the necklace around her neck. Taiki stole a glance at her as he tried to think of something to say, the quiet making him uncomfortable.

"Taiki!" Kudamon boomed suddenly.

Taiki seemed to hardly notice his partners calling as he stared at his food dumbly continued in his own thoughts. Kudamon called again with the same result and looked at his partner questioning.

Now Michiko, being very well read, but lacking in certain areas…such as tact, yelled "TAIKI!"

If Taiki had not be planted to the floor by gravity and his heart trapped in his body he may well have launched into space while his heart shot out of his chest in mortal terror. Instead Taiki simply dashed to his feet as if under attack and gripped the rails of the platform.

The hazel eyed boy, also being well read, and also lacking certain social skills…such as... social skills, said nothing at all but turned his back on the group as his face turning several shades redder then normal. But before Taiki could be humiliated anymore a group of in-training and rookie digimon came up to the platform.

Taiki could have hugged them all for saving him.

"Hey! What can we do for you?" Michiko asked of the small group of various in-trainings with three Palmon's accompanying them.

The acting parent Digimon, the rookies, pushed the four in-trainings forward and gave them a nod before they shuffled over to Taiki and Kudamon.

"Me?" Taiki squatted down and Kudamon scuffled over as well to hear what the small digimon had to say.

"Umm…" One of the in-training mumbled, before a second popped up, "Are you going to help protect us!?"

"Huh?" Taiki was taken back by the question.

"Yeah, you're going to protect our friends right?!" A third chimed in.

"Well…" Taiki mumbled again.

"Yes, yes! We fight to protect!" Kudamon squeaked as it jumped into the middle of the group and started to head butt the air. The small group cheered and looked to Taiki for a confirming statement.

"Well…"Taiki looked at their smiling hopeful faces and sighed before standing, "That's right! I'm going to protect everyone!" Taiki gave his most convincing smile and tried to look the part of hero as best he could.

The kids seemed to be elated at the news.

"Hey, don't forget me and Lalamon!" Michiko butted in proudly, "I was here before Taiki was and I plan on doing my part as well!"

"Protect everyone!" Lalamon echoed Taiki with a high jump.

The whole group burst into a fit of laughter. There was nothing funny at all about this situation but laughing was far better then thinking about why Taiki was being asked to protect them. They laughed because a war was going on and laughter was the only real weapon they had to protect themselves from all the bad that came with war.

"Okay, you little ones. Let's leave…them….be." The head Palmon became progressively paler, if it was possible for a green digimon. Taiki, Michiko, Kudamon, and Lalamon all turned to see what the problem was and instantly they felt their stomachs lurch.

"Oh, no." Michiko and Taiki said at the same time.

Beyond the edge of the forest a large dust cloud was being raised from a large group of digimon. At the very center of the group could saw a great flag raised in the air, a blue flame pasted on to it.

Michiko ran over to the railing and threw her upper body over and strained her eyes to see.

"Who is it?" Taiki asked.

Michiko pushed away from the rail and turned to Taiki with a look of quiet determination.

"It's…SkullMeramon."

-----------------------

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 11:00 AM**

_**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**_

"Ugh…how disgusting."

Ayumi sat huddled in a dark corner of the dungeons of Kassel with a degraded expression on her face as she stared into nothing.

Ayumi woke up today and after recalling the events of the night before fell into her current state; complete disgust of her weak, emotional, or _girlish_ behavior. She remembered it all and was absolutely sick with humiliation and embarrassment. She had spent the past few hours sulking in her own self pity.

There wasn't much else to do anyway.

Falcomon on the other hand had spent his time resting himself, the battle with d'Arcmon had been challenging and when you added in the fact that Ayumi and Falcomon walked through most days and nights to get here quickly, for Riku's sake, he had gotten little rest and was taking any time to recuperate he could get.

The two had been silent the entire morning and had not done much of anything until the dungeon door opened and Shingen and Kotemon, along with two Agumon, entered. The Agumon stood at the bottom of the stairs while Shingen and Kotemon walked towards the two prisoners.

Ayumi stood and shook herself off before addressing Shingen, "What do you want? Here to gloat or demand something of us? Forget it." Ayumi bitterly remarked.

Shingen didn't respond and instead kept his silence as he stared Ayumi down. Ayumi likewise did the same, feeling challenged by Shingen's gaze. Ayumi was not going to lose anymore of her pride this day and if Shingen wanted anything out of her he was going to have to take it with great sacrifice to himself.

"I have a request for you." Shingen finally spoke.

"Like I said, forget it." Ayumi remarked once more.

Shingen pretended to not have heard her and continued on, "I want you to go back to whoever it was that gave you this job and tell him that you didn't get rid of me, but you instead disposed of another human who got in the way."

Ayumi opened her mouth to tell him off again but the when the idea settled in and didn't make sense her curiosity was peaked, "Why do you want me to do that?"

Shingen cleared his throat, happy to have Ayumi's attention now, and continued once more, "I assume that Riku, who I believe was that bully of a boy from school, is still alive. If he wasn't then there isn't a point in you killing me anyway. But, the reason is simple, I want you to spy on the South for me."

"What? You want us to spy for you!? You made us your prisoners!" Falcomon piped up in shock.

Shingen nodded, again choosing to ignore the negative parts, and instead of waiting for more questions or remarks he decided to clarify. "It's simple really, I'm seeing now that there are more of us then just me and Emi. I think that the only way for us to make any difference in this world, like Jijimon says is our destiny, is for us to work together."

"We need to look at the larger picture, you, Shingen, Emi, and this Riku. You all knew each other from before, that can't just be happen chance. There must be something larger in the background." Kotemon supported his partner with his own insight.

"You have a point…" Ayumi agreed. She thought about it for a moment and then looked to Shingen more correctly, "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Well first I need you to tell me your situation, so I can give you precise instructions." Shingen replied.

Ayumi looked to Falcomon who, after a moment of hesitation, nodded to her. Ayumi took a deep breath and began to divulge the story of their capture by Karatenmon and his task to get rid of the Dragon's Champion for Riku's sake. Shingen stopped her at several intervals and asked questions concerning Karatenmon and his men, which Ayumi answered to the best of her ability.

"And so we started out for Kassel to find you. You know the rest obviously." Ayumi finished.

"It was quite the journey, so many twists and turns." Falcomon whined unhappily.

"I see. Alright, this is what I would like you to do. I want you and Riku to stay with Karatenmon and do his bidding for the time being. Sometime soon I'm going to launch an invasion of the South. I assume that Karatenmon will be called to reinforce Zhuqiaomon's army and when he does I want you to…make things difficult for him."

"Like, a mutiny or something?" Falcomon guessed.

"That would be best but you would need followers. Use the fact that you are humans of the prophecy and you might get some help, maybe you could get enough support to kill Karatenmon all together. But, if that can't be done then sabotage would be the second best way to go, a last resort would be to start a fight and retreat once enough chaos has ensued. A very last resort." Kotemon advised.

"Yes, Kotemon's right, play it safe. I won't for a while, and even then Karatenmon won't be called back in until things get dicey. So take that time to do what you can. I got some reports this morning the Karatenmon is in the West skirmishing with the frontier forces for the Great Plains. This should give you some extra time to get things planned." Shingen began to pace slowly as his mind slowly started to work into a frenzy.

"Do you think Karatenmon could beat the West?" Ayumi asked.

"I doubt it, Karatenmon doesn't have the troops to do that. All of the South's main bite is in the north with SkullMeramon and he'll be too far away to help the South in any time soon, even he couldn't move an army of his size that quickly."

Shingen told the Agumon to opened the dungeon doors and stepped aside to give Ayumi and Falcomon a clear passage to the exit.

"We can help each other end this war. I trust you'll see that working together is the only way to win."

Ayumi nodded, "Right..."

Shingen smiled and nodded to Kotemon who walked up to Ayumi and presented her with a piece of paper he had been holding. It was a map of the Digimon world with a red circle with Karatenmon's last known position, just beyond the Western Border. It would take a good days travel get to central plains and another day to get to the West, she had to hurry.

"Good luck." Shingen bowed slightly and then waited for her to leave. Ayumi, with renewed vigor, said her goodbyes and then dashed up the stairs with Falcomon close on her heels.

"Alright, Falcomon. We've got a job we can really throw our support behind."

"Right, with no guilt involved."

_Yeah, this time we can do things better. And this time, we do it right._

_-----------------------------_

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 1:00 PM**

_**POV: None**_

"We're here!"

Apemon looked up to see the arrival of Taiki and Michiko, along with their partners. They had been waiting for them so they could start the hurried briefing for the battle ahead.

"Alright, everyone listen up!" Apemon shouted.

"SkullMeramon has come here many times and every time we've won, today will be no different. We will draw his force into the forest where multiple ambushes will strike at his army and cause them to panic and fall into chaos. Remembers your individual roles and fight until the last mon!" Apemon was given a round of applause from the many Apemon, Togemon, other Apemon, and various other forest digimon.

"We have received word that Hookmon, commander of the Eastern Terminal forest forces will come to our aid and arrive within a day or so. So we just need to beat back SkullMeramon's army today, force him to retreat and regroup, and then we will attack him with our combined force and finish him once and for all!"

Apemon pumped his fist into the air and then waved to Taiki, "And we are blessed further with the aid of another savior of prophecy, the one who saved our forest from the sneak attack by the DarkTyranomon! Taiki and his partner Kudamon, treat them well and give the your support. Report to your positions and remember, we fight to defend our lands and justice is on our side!"

Apemon's army gave a shout of approval before scurrying off to prepare for the battle to start soon, SkullMeramon's forces were approaching and would arrive within the hour. Taiki and Michiko both were put on the forest edge and were given the easiest to follow job, and yet, the hardest to pull off. They were to charge the enemy army and then pretend to retreat after a few minutes of fighting. Despite the dangers both Taiki and Michiko jumped at the change to help.

For Taiki, it was time to make his hopes a reality. For Michiko it was time to defend this peaceful land she had so come to love.

A trials of wills had come to the Northern Lands, and it was about to begin.

-----------------

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 2:00 PM**

_**POV: SkullMeramon**_

It was finally going to end today. SkullMeramon stood on a small hill looking to the forest that he knew was buzzing with life as they prepared their pitiful defenses. He gripped the burning chain in his right hand and swore he could already smell the sensation of burning wood.

"Finally…we finish these pitiful pacifists." SkullMeramon told himself. His assortment of flaming digimon were ready for the attack to commence. Meramon, Candlemon, DarkTyranomon, and numerous other fire digimon. SkullMeramon walked to the front of his army and roar over his shoulder his plan for the battle.

"This time we show no mercy! Burn everything to the ground, everything and anyone one! Burn it all!" SkullMeramon commanded, throwing his voice as far as it could be thrown. "Forward! BURN EVERYTHING!"

"BURN!" His army called back in response as they dashed past their leader. He watched them enter the charred grounds that were once the original forest border before his men had burned it over the war's period.

The war drums began to drum their music, the beats of war, of fire, of destruction. Flags were raised and the digimon were unleashed. The battle was about to begin and the flames of war was about to consume the great forests of the North. They had stopped him before...but...

_But today, I will see to your destruction personally! You will all burn._

-----------------

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 2:00 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada **_

"Here they come!" Michiko whispered.

SkullMeramon's army marched into the forest boldly, setting fire to everything that was flamable as they went. When a large portion of the front ranks of the enemy were in the forest Taiki gave the command to attack.

"Fire!"

In a second the peaceful forest that Taiki had been having a picnic in a hour ago was engulfed in flaming balls of fire, speeding balls of light, trampling dinosaurs, swinging monkeys, large cactus' and all many of other strange and bizarre creatures and things as the battle suddenly exploded into a massive melee.

Taiki dropped down to the ground from a very low brance and followed the first wave of the defense to meet the SkullMeramon's forces. Kudamon leapt off of Taiki shoulder and unto a preoccupied Candlemon. Looking to his right he saw Lalamon singing (Sing a Song Attack) which was causing the enemy to fall asleep.

Taiki looked around him with something akin to displacement, he was in the middle of a battle. He saw the enemies that Lalamon put to sleep get attacked and deleted without a blink of the eye. He saw his allies being cut down in much the same manner, only they were very much aware of themselves.

"Taiki! What are you doing!?"

"Huh?" An arm lashed out and pulled Taiki out of the middle of the fray.

"You're going to get yourself killed." Michiko shook the boy to bring him back to reality, "Focus Taiki, we have to retreat now before we lose too many of our friends! Remember the plan." Michiko bopped Taiki on the head for good measure before calling to everyone to fall back into the forest.

Taiki shook himself and ran out into battle again and began relaying the same orders that Michiko were given. Everything seemed to slow down and become silent for the Yamada. He could feel his breathing like never before and he saw everything with a horrible and striking clarity.

They weren't retreating. They were refusing to give up their beloved forest…even if it meant they were going to die. Even though it may cost them everything they refused to give in, just like Taiki's grandfather had years ago.

"Run, run back to the forest!" Taiki pleaded with them. They didn't seem to be able to hear, they just kept fighting. He saw two Veggiemon trying to run away from a DarkTyranomon, a Monmon destroyed by an angry Meramon. He saw the fires began to spread through the forest's edge and smoke fill the air, bothering Taiki's ability to breath and see. He saw date hurled into the air, once great trees wither away, and he felt a cold fear grip him in the form of the in-training digimon's voices.

"_**Are you going to help protect us!?"**_

"_**Huh?"**_

"_**Yeah, you're going to protect our friends right?!"**_

_That's right! I'm going to protect everyone, I've got to protect everyone. I've got to fight for everyone!_

"Taiki!" Kudamon bounded out of a tree and unto his partners shoulder, "You need me, yes? I felt fuzzy." The ferret digimon was dirty and breathing heavily, obviously from running around doing all that his little body could do to aid the war effort. He was ready to really make a difference.

Taiki smiled, "We've got to protect everyone, Kudamon. Let's go!"

"Yes! Kudamon digivolve too," Kudamon threw himself into the air and was taken by a golden light, "Reppamon!"

The golden light shattered and stood once more the champion stage of Kudamon's evolution. The fox champion nodded to his partner who ran over and jumped unto his back.

"Here we go Taiki, hold on!" Reppamon blazed forward and into the fray, the pair dashed past the enemy, out of the forest, and bounded towards the source of this conflict.

_We're coming for you…SkullMeramon._

----------------------------

**A/N: **Finally, we are going up again. I fill like my story is doing a Sine or Cosine equation thing. Going from a high point to a low point to a high point again. We are finally going up the hill again! The next chapter should be very interesting. The ninth will appear with the chapter titled after him, hint hint.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay, X-mas is slowing me down and so I have to do this in chunks rather then sections like normal. Even so, I feel like this chapter may have been rushed but nonetheless we are moving ahead, new partnerships, new enemies, and my usual 'to be continued' ending, which I love doing.

Oh, on a side note, after this next chapter be sure to pay attention to the days, since I will being going back a day to show you what the others were doing while this was all going on.

Oh, and about Emi. Has anyone ever written something that came out slightly different then they intended? Emi's part was supposed to be more low-key, more depressive, but I actually like how it turned out. She seemed to be saying that while she is quiet and timid, you had better watch out when all those pent up emotions come boiling to the surface! She's got more bite then I, her creator, gave her credit for. Kudos to Emi! Ahem, anyway, that's my thoughts on that.

As always, sorry for typos, feel free to point out glaring ones if you feel so inclined. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

-Arc

PS: Um, Sorano...errr, I believe they have places where one can learn how to, err, help people with language difficulties. Not that you or your partner cough would need it. But I just felt the need to run that by you for some reason...so yeah. Look forward to your next review! XD.

PSS: I didn't mean the PS to be mean or anything...err...I was just concerned for...Sorano's...mental health..and stuff...XD

PSSS: Is there a PSS? PSSS?


	15. A Hero Appears! His Name is Scion!

Chapter 14: A Hero Appears! His Name is... Scion!

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 4:00 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada **_

They were safe…for now. Taiki shivered as the light rain trickled down from the tree, the one he was hiding behind, unto his back and down his body. He did the best he could to cover up his partner digimon who was in his weakest state to date. The fight had forced Kudamon to revert to his in-training level, Puffmon.

_How could this have happened…?_

Taiki pulled himself closer to the tree and peaked his head out from cover, the fires had stopped, the rain had saved the forest for now, but, you could still hear the sounds of fighting deeper into the forest and it was getting closer. He was far from the fighting now, yet close enough to it to be fearful of enemy digimon finding them. It had turned dark early, though it was just the rain clouds blocking the sun out.

SkullMeramon was looking for them. Ever since they had shown themselves SkullMeramon was pursued them with an unnatural burning passion, he could feel it. He wanted to find them…and destroy them.

Taiki pulled his jacket closer around him and his partner and zipped it up tight so that at least one of them could be slightly warm. His hair was wet and clung to his face, his clothes were heavy and sticky, and his heart was beating a more melancholy beat then it normally would. His new partner digimon was very different then Kudamon; it was small, translucent, and its eyes were big and black, and its body was furry. The only thing that resembled Kudamon was the pointed ears.

Taiki pulled himself together for a moment to try and put into focus the events that had led him to where he was now. What had went wrong that allowed that evil digimon to prevail? How had he ended up here? Taiki assumed that it started the moment he decided to challenge SkullMeramon head on and alone.

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 2:00 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada **_

"Get out of our way!" Taiki cried.

"Huh, a human! Stop them!" They would respond, the enemy army Taiki and Reppamon were dashing through.

"Whirling Blade!" Then Reppamon would attack them, some were deleted while others were wounded.

The pattern continued as they duo made their way through the enemy army, who was largely preoccupied with the fight in the forest to stop and notice two runaway digimon, or if they did it was already too late. Reppamon's tail acted like a lawnmower, only it chopped down the bad digimon with massive prejudice instead of grass. Reppamon told Taiki that his tail had a will of its own, hence the eye, and that even he couldn't control it at times. So evidently the tail was either sadistic or was having a very violent mood swing.

_Well…that no need to concern ourselves now is it? Hehehe…yeah, a crazy tail is the least of our worries._

"Halt!"

Reppamon instinctively leapt to the right before looking to where the voice came from. It was a group of Meramon, five in all, who were standing in the Fox Champions way. Taiki leapt off of his partner and stood defiantly beside Reppamon, who before had told Taiki to get away from the fighting as soon as things looked sour.

"Humans? Our lord wishes all Humans to be brought to him…" The head Meramon, to the far right, spoke.

"Just get out of our way! We only want to get to SkullMeramon!" Taiki commanded.

The Meramon looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. They pointed at Taiki and Reppamon as if the very thought of them meeting their leader was absurd.

A few moments later the head Meramon spoke again, "You want to see our Commander? Do you know who you are dealing with? SkullMeramon is an Ultimate level digimon, one does not simply challenge or ask to meet with an Ultimate. Do you know how many digimon exist in this world? Thousands, tens of thousands! You humans must not understand our world very well," He chuckled loudly, "The Ultimates are the elite of our world, one does not demand anything of them without being an elite as well."

They were laughing again but Taiki was a bit shaken by their words. They had not seen an Ultimate Digimon before, and if they were so much stronger then did he have a chance? It took everything out of Taiki to give Reppamon enough power to defeat DarkTyranomon, a champion. Could they overcome this enemy?

"Peace, Taiki, we will prevail. We have a power on our side that can defeat the greatest of foes." Reppamon consoled his partner.

"You're right, we have nothing to worry about." Taiki stomped his right foot into the ground to gain the five Meramon's attentions, "This is your last chance, get out of our way or else!"

The Meramon seemed to snap into attention, their taunting did not see to be disturbing the boy anymore and they took notice. The time for jokes was over and the time for battle was now. They spread themselves out and readied themselves for a fight.

"Stand down," A dark booming voice ordered, "The Human wants to fight? So be it!"

_Where is he? I don't see him!_

"Behind you, boy."

In a flash Reppamon grabbed Taiki by his hood, using his mouth, and leapt far to his right. He put his partner down and regarded the Commander of the South's expeditionary forces. To say Taiki was not scared would be to lie. Blue flames surrounding his body, a metal mask concealing his face, and a flaming chain wrapped tightly around his arm were just a few of the features that put Taiki's courage to the test.

"You…you're SkullMeramon?" Taiki asked, trying to hide the feeling of dread in his voice.

"Some call me that, others, more unfortunate, call me DeathMeramon. Though, they aren't around to call me that anymore, hehehe." The five lackey Meramon's laughed mockingly as they formed up behind their master with due respect.

"You must leave this forest at once, we mean no harm to you!" Reppamon howled.

"No harm? Who wants to harm anything? This war is being fought for the power to shape the digital world. And that power is held by each of the Sovereigns, but as long as the other Gods are alive then they can always stop any changes that my lord tries to make. I only burn the forests because it brings Ebonwumon's pawns out of their hiding place." SkullMeramon shook his right hand, loosing the chain around his arm.

Seeing that Taiki and Reppamon had nothing to say in response SkullMeramon spoke again, "We are going to erase this forest anyway, all we want is the orbs of power Ebonwumon has!" The flaming digimon whipped his chain into the air before letting it fall to the ground harmlessly.

"We don't know what you are talking about!" Reppamon barked.

"What? I know you must have seen Ebonwumon personally. Surely he has told you?"

"Don't listen to him, Reppamon, get 'em!" Taiki hollered.

A wisp of wind was the only thing signaling Reppamon's attack. The Fox champion drove into SkullMeramon so fast the Ultimate barely had time to lift up his right arm in defense. Taiki watched as his partner dashed around SkullMeramon, slashing him with his tail, while the hulking SkullMeramon could barely do more then keep his eyes on his target.

"I've had enough!" SkullMeramon gripped his chain and swung himself around, holding the chain low to the ground, "Flame Chain!" The iron links scorched the ground and Reppamon, moving too quickly for its reflexes to react, tripped over the heavy chain.

Wasting no time Taiki was already heading to his partners side as Reppamon's skid across the ground came to a halt. Taiki reached down to touch his partner but drew back when he felt a tremendous heat coming from his partner digimon's body.

"Heh, my body is surrounded in flames. Attacking me with your body means damaging yourself." SkullMeramon was swinging his whip about lazily as if amused by Reppamon's attack, "Not to mention your attacks was little more then an annoyance to me."

"Shut up!" Taiki grounded his teeth together as he helped his partner to its feet.

"Hmph, I'm curious though. Do you really not know the reason this war is fought?" SkullMeramon was pacing now, as an executioner would just before he fulfilled his job.

"You are doing this cause you aren't satisfied with what you have!" The dark haired boy called out.

"…Haha…Hahanah….Hahahahahaha!" SkullMeramon's laughter was deep and daunting, "You fool, this war is fought for Digi-cores. Each of the sovereigns have them! Ebonwumon has them hanging from vines that grew from the tree on his back."

Taiki blinked and then it struck him, _He must mean…those golden orbs that Ebonwumon had with him. Why would they want those for?_

As if reading Taiki's mind, SkullMeramon answered his question, "In order to shape this world you need a tremendous amount of power and the only power capable of such a feat is a fair number of digi-cores. In order to win the war and shape the world in their vision, the Four Lords need the Digi-cores! They are the source of everything. But if another God has the same number of cores then they can veto any changes made, so the war is fought to gain as many digi-cores as possible."

"Then why not go somewhere else?!" Taiki asked, "Ebonwumon doesn't want to fight! He just wants to keep to his forest peacefully."

"Hahaha! What a naïve boy. Ebonwumon wants the entire digital world to be covered in forest, lakes, and jungles. He is as much to blame as all the others. HE wants to destroy our volcanoes and our mountains, HE wants to make this world good for only his kind, HE wants to do the exact same thing we want to do. The only difference is that he is a coward choosing to let us wear ourselves down so its easier for him when he decides to crawl out of his little forest over there."

Insulted was not a strong enough word to express Taiki's reaction to SkullMeramon's accusations about Ebonwumon. "That's not true, he just wants to keep his forests and digimon that live in them safe!"

"Well, you won't have to worry about that once I'm done with you!"

"Taiki, down!" Reppamon roared.

SkullMeramon whipped his chain towards the pair, Taiki dropping to the ground as commanded, while Reppamon leapt over the flaming chain.

"You've spouted enough of your lies long enough!" Reppamon dashed away from Taiki, hoping to divert the Ultimate away from his human partner. "I need you to focus Taiki, we have to fight together!"

Taiki stood slowly and looked to Reppamon and then SkullMeramon. He knew he couldn't disprove what SkullMeramon has said but it didn't matter at this point, not now.

_I just need to protect this forest, what comes after that will come when its time to deal with it. _"Reppamon! Kick him out of this place, one and for all!" Taiki reached into himself, to give Reppamon all the power Taiki could muster from his emotions. It was an odd feeling when Taiki would focus like this, a similar feeling that all the other children would get when they linked with their partner. It was if a small wind was blowing from Taiki to Reppamon. The feeling was like an absence of something that one couldn't put his finger on, and yet at the same time he could feel that same thing building in Reppamon, a transfer of heart and emotion into power, to protect or destroy.

"What are you doing, boy?" SkullMeramon asked, noticing Taiki odd silence.

"You shouldn't turn your back on your opponent!" Reppamon barked, dashing towards SkullMeramon.

"Hah, I don't need to fear you! Blue Flame!" Opening his mouth a massive blue flame burst forth, incinerating everything that it touched. Reppamon made a wide turn to avoid the flames, feeling an upsurge of power coming from Taiki.

"Take this, Vacuum Razor Wind." Reppamon circled around SkullMeramon, his tail throwing invisible blades of wind at the hulking metal head. The blow struck at SkullMeraon's upper torso.

SkullMeramon's body flinched as the attacks struck his body. He tried to keep up with the fox champion but he proved too slow to keep him within his sight. Without the speed to attack Reppamon and with him attacking from a distance this time, SkullMeramon could do nothing to stop him, except cheat that is, "Argh, Meramon, attack the human!"

"What? Taiki, run!" Reppamon howled.

"Uh? What?"

Taiki turned to run but found out quickly that the champion level Meramon were not slouches nor did they have the problem of bulk their master had. They had him surrounded before he moved two yards from where he was standing moments ago.

"You're not going anywhere." They taunted as they closed in around him.

Reppamon stopped his attack and made a beeline for Taiki, "Hold on Taiki!"

"Heavy Metal Flame!" SkullMeramon launched a ball of flaming metal from his mouth right towards Taiki and his own Meramon.

The ball touched down on the ground right in front of the Taiki and the Meramon. The attack exploded on contact and engulfed the group completely. The smoke rose into the sky slowly, the scent of burning earth was quick to fill the air. The familiar noise of deleted digimon filled the air, while a stifled yell came from Taiki.

SkullMeramon looked straight at his point of fire and waiting. As if on cue a silhouette darted out of the smoke, but it lacked the speed it once had. With a small grin SkullMeramon chuckled to himself.

"For a second, I thought you had actually been destroyed. Hehehe."

Reppamon slid Taiki off his back before the champion fell to the ground, both his hind legs were burned. He had managed to reach Taiki before the attack hit but the explosion got his legs before he could escape completely. Taiki managed with only a few burns and scrapes of his own, along with a heavy dose of sudden fright.

"Taiki, wake up," Reppamon brought himself to his feet and went over to nudge his partner, "Wake up Taiki! We have to go!" Reppamon nudged his sleeping partner once more. "TAIKI!"

The sound of rattling chains turned Reppamon's attention from Taiki to SkullMeramon…a little too late. The heavy chain nailed Reppamon in his side and tossed the champion aside like a child's toy. Reppamon was tossed into the air and reverted back to his rookie stage before hitting the ground and when he finally hit the earth he reverted again to his in-training form, Puffmon.

As for Taiki, he blacked out just before Reppamon was attacked. It was at this unfortunate time that Michiko, Apemon, and Lalamon, appeared on the scene.

--------------

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 3:00 PM**

_**POV: Michiko Hasegawa**_

It had taken Michiko sometime to finally find someone to find Taiki and to her horror she found out that he had gone to challenge SkullMeramon, by the look of the direction he was traveling in. Michiko knew she couldn't go in after him alone and so she informed Apemon as soon as she caught sight of him. He respond immediately with a counter attack, throwing the original plan into the trash bin. Once the fighting was out of Apemon's hands, he and Michiko, along with Lalamon, sped towards SkullMeramon's camp.

Michiko had hoped to find Taiki fairing well against the so called DeathMeramon, but arriving on the scene she found things to be much worse then she had dared to think about. Taiki, knocked out and injured, and his partner reduced to his in-training form.

Apemon instantly leapt into the battle, attacking SkullMeramon before he could finish Puffmon off, while Michiko charged over to Taiki.

"Taiki, wake up! What happened!?"

_Stupid question, Michiko! SkullMeramon is what happened! We've got to do something…_

"Michiko! Take Taiki and his partner and flee! Go while I hold him off!" Apemon yelled as he skillfully dodged the timed blows of SkullMeramon's chain.

Michiko shook her head, "We can't leave you here!" She looked to Lalamon and nodded, "We'll fight too!"

Lalamon nodded, "Alright! Lend me your strength for a while then." Lalamon leapt forward and began to glow, "Lalamon digivolve too…Sunflowmon!" From the glowing sphere came a large humanoid sunflower digimon. It had a pale green body, dark green leaves that jutted out from its back like wings, its face was a pale yellow surrounded by darker yellow sunflower petals, with black eyes, and with a pink triangle on its forehead. She was the size of a full adult.

Before the newly formed champion could make a move Apemon growled, "I said get those two out of here! This is the last time I will say this, get out of here now!" Apemon turned and waved his club at them and took a strong blow from SkullMeramon for his moment of weakness.

"Apemon!" Michiko and Sunflowmon gasped. The forest champion stood again and waved them away, "You humans are supposed to save our world," Apemon drew a slow breath before standing upright once more, "To die here might mean the end our this forests existence…run and fight again another day! Become strong enough to defend this forest after I am gone! GO!"

_But…we can't just leave him…_

"Michiko, lets go." Sunflowmon spoke, her champion form showing a higher level of maturity, as most digimon showed when they digivovled, "Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good." Sunflowmon jogged back and lifted Taiki up into her arms, "You get Taiki's partner and get to the forest, I'll meet you there."

_This is so wrong! _Michiko hesitated for a moment but feeling at a lose she did as she was told, speeding over to Puffmon and sweeping it into her arms before running to the forest, the only safe haven left open to them._ Don't lose Apemon...we'll be back soon!_

Sunflowmon lead them deep into the forest and just as they were beginning to make real distance Sunflowmon stopped and put Taiki under a slightly uprooted tree, she took Puffmon and put her with Taiki.

"What are we doing?" Michiko asked.

"We will hide Taiki here while we go back to help Apemon," Sunflowmon grinned, "We protected Taiki like Apemon wanted, he'll be safe here for a bit. Now we need to go and fight…just like Taiki and Kudamon did before us."

Michiko laughed, Sunflowmon had the same feelings that Michiko had moments ago, "I knew you were more like me then you appeared." Michiko hopped up once and rubbed her golden eyes, "Alright, lets go put a stop to this stupid fighting. Like my dad always said _'"If you can help it, avoid a conflict, but if you have to fight…make sure its something important and that you WIN!" _Let's go!"

"When Taiki wakes up, this battle will be all over!" Sunflowmon cheered, chasing after an already moving Michiko.

_I hope you're right Sunflowmon….I hope you're right…_

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 4:30 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada **_

_I blacked out after my fight with SkullMeramon….but how did I end up here? Did Michiko find me? But…does that mean she's fighting him now?_ Taiki ground his teeth together, _If only we were stronger. If only I had more strength I could protect this place. _Taiki looked down at Puffmon and stroked his head softly.

_But in this condition…_

Giant steps filtered into Taiki's ears and he groaned loudly. He knew those steps anywhere, they were grounded into his head the day he first saw Kudamon digivolve.

_DarkTyranomon._

Suddenly the tree he was hiding behind burst into flames and pushed to the ground. Taiki barely had time to roll out of the falling trees way, holding Puffmon tightly to his chest. He got up on his knees and shook the dust and burnt leaves out of his brown hair, his hazel eyes were watering from the dust kicked up by the tree.

Or it could have just been the rain.

"Hey, I found him. Get the boss."

Taiki turned around and sat on his butt. _Yep, DarkTyranomon. _The large champion looked at the small human before him and grinned.

"You should feel honored, the fighting is going on way over there but our commander wanted to leave the battle and find you personally." The dinosaur laughed fully as several heavy feet came into ear shot. More DarkTyranomon Taiki guessed, along with the head chief himself.

Moments later Taiki found he had guessed right. Three DarkTyranomon and one jolly SkullMeramon. The flaming villain took a heavy step towards Taiki and cracked his chain whip. "I found you…hahaha. Got your girlfriend back at the base too, she'll make a fine gift for my Lord, Zhuqiaomon." SkullMeramon laughed, immensely proud of himself.

"You're a monster, leave her alone!" Taiki protested.

"Or what? You'll fight me yourself?"

Taiki grunted and diverted his eyes away. He saw SkullMeramon's shadow, he was swinging his chain in the air, in a helicopter motion. Taiki closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come.

_Sorry, Grandpa…game over I guess._

"Time to die, boy!"

The chain fell.

A powerful wind blew through the air.

Taiki yelled.

The chain smashed into the ground.

And then a holler.

"YAHOOOO!"

Taiki opened his eyes and found himself in a very different position then he thought he'd find himself in. He was on a flying beast with skin as rock. It was dinosaur in shape, Tyrannosaurus like, the size of a large horse. It had dark fur covering its rough skin, with white paws and large red claws. The arms were short while its feet were large and it had two large wings. It had red eyes, pointed eyes, white fur around its mouth and neck, and a red diamond in its forehead.

Then Taiki noticed the other human riding with him. He looked up and his mouth dropped. What he had thought to be impossible…had turned out to be very possible.

"Welcome to the Dorugamon express!"

He was short, four feet even, give or take an inch. He had dark hair with bright blonde highlights. He wore a part of dark khaki pants torn at the ankles, his sneakers were dirty and looking like they were about to fall apart, he had a dark green long sleeve shirt with the right sleeve torn off just below the shoulder and on that same arm was a new black leather glove. On his head as a pair of azure rimmed, oval shaped, goggles. The boy was dark skinned and had a flashing smile and golden eyes that seemed to have an inner flame.

Taiki knew him as Sasuke Mitsunari, a 4th grade school boy and one of the most energetic, exocentric, imaginative, and happy boy you've ever met, he was a lover of soccor, a hardcore video game player, and all of the older girls little brother. And he was playing the part of the lead, the dashing hero.

"…Sa-Sasuke?!" Taiki muttered while Sasuke flinched.

"NOT SASUKE! My name is Scion!!" He uttered grumpily, "I go by Scion here! Remember who saved you from a Game Over before you call me by my old name!"

Taiki opened his mouth to speak but a thought struck him. _Game over? Does…does Sasuke think this is a game still?!_ Taiki reached for Scion's shoulder, "Sas-"

"Let's go get 'em, Dorugamon!" The beast howled and did a complete nose dive. Taiki grabbed Scion by his shirt as the wind smashed into his face.

"WAHOOOO! Here I come, evil doers!" Scion announced, showing no fear what so ever, as if this was an everyday stunt.

_He really doesn't know he could get himself killed!_

Seconds before hitting the ground Dorugamon, champion form of Dorumon, stuck his feet out and smashed into the ground…a perfect landing.

Dorugamon slid Taiki safely to the ground, took a few steps forward towards SkullMeramon, and then turned his body so that Scion could get a good view of the bad guys.

"Who are you, you little runt?" SkullMeramon demanded, annoyed that Taiki was saved from his attack.

"Hah!" Scion laughed, "Don't you know? I'M THE HERO! My name is Scion and this here is Dorugamon." He patted his partner softly before he leapt to the ground.

"And we, are so going to kick your butt!" Scion punched the air in SkullMeramon's direction with firm determination.

"Hah, what a joke. You think you can fair any better then the last two?" SkullMeramon nudged his head forward, "Deal with this runt." The four Tyranomon laughed as they stepped forward.

Scion held his ground and in a flash his right gloved pointer flinger flashed out and he pointed to the left most DarkTyranomon, "Dorugamon! Power Metal!"

Dorugamon responded even before Scion had finished, the champions mouth opened and a metal orb shot forward into the DarkTyranomon, who was deleted instantly. Before the first attack had struck Scion pointed out the next target and destroyed the last three before they had a chance to get over their shock.

_No way…It took Reppamon a while to beat just one of those guys! He did it with one shot...why or how is he so much stronger?_

"Argh…" SkullMeramon took a single step back before reasserting himself, "Don't think just because you beat them you can beat me human!"

"Heh…" Dorugamon growled slightly, "We aren't going to beat you. We are going to destroy you." The dragon digimon growled softly.

"Yeah!" Scion pumped his arm into the air, "It's game's over for you pal." Scion punched the air again towards SkullMeramon.

"And this time, the game is in OUR favor!"

-----------------------

**A/N: **Alright, I'm sorry for the long update…X-mas made me lazy and then when I got back my brain was flopping around like a dead monkey getting hit into the air by a car…if you can picture that in your head. I knew what I wanted to write but my brain was like 'DEEDEEDEE' (Carlos Mencia rocks, XP).

Anyway, TA DA! Did anyone think I was going to leave the goggles out of this story? NOT! Here he is ladies and gentlemen, the goggled headed character of the story and my favorite character. So here is he, Sasuke Mitsunari, or Scion as he likes to be called. Note: Scion has a meaning, kudos if you can find out what it means or if you know already.

Oh, on the goggles. There was a typo about those. My brother helped proof reading in the beginning chapters and before I started this story I had decided that Taiki would have the goggles but changed it to Scion for a bit more originality and for plot reasons. I must not have told my brother this, because he put a few goggle references in the story while he was reading the first few chapters, he thought I forgot and fixed it for me. I think I got most of them out but if I missed any, just ignore it and inform me so I can remove it from the story. Scion is supposed to have the goggles, sorry for any confusion.

Now, another note. The fight scene with Reppamon and SkullMeramon. Its sketchy and I don't like it very much. But I posted since the story was more important then the fight and since this update has been long coming. I plan on going back and editing it a bit and will inform you of that edit so you can go back and look at it. But since the story moves on and the fight in the next chapter is far more interesting I hope I will be forgiven for what might seem like a lacking fight scene.

Also, this chapter was long, in microsoft word anyway, so expect a bit more of my errors, the longer the chapter the harder it is for errors…I need to find someone to help me with corrections, maybe I should put out fliers or something…well, whatever. So sorry in advance, especially on this chapter. I really did put a lot of effort into it, I do the best I can without being an OCD grammar error hating machine, XP.

So, read, enjoy, and review please!

-Arc.


	16. Intermission!

INTERMISSION! (Prologue - Chapter 14)

Alright, so this shall be a story commercial type thing! Basically, my exams are coming up so I don't have a lot of time to work until after next week. But, in the mean time I thought we'd take a step back and re-cap on what has occurred so far, for those new to the story and for those that have read through, you may still see something new! This will be focused mostly on the children and the events. If I do another intermission I will include a more detailed look at the digimon.

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Okay, at this point we have little history of the initial stages of the war between the four guardians. We do know now that the objective of the war is to gain enough digi-cores to shape the digital world, if someone else had an equal number then they could 'veto' any changes made, thus the war is apparently fought for control of these orbs.

In response to the escalating conflict Jijimon, a mediator of the armed conflict, resorted to a fragmented prophecy of the 'World of Creators' and thus searched out for the chosen children, the heroes of prophecy. Though the exact reasons why they were chosen, and their role in this conflict, is still heavily shrouded in mystery.

The first to arrive was Kaito Akimoto, how is not known at this point. A boy with a laidback attitude which seems to hide a much higher level thinking, perception, and observation, then his outward appearance may display. It was with him that Jijimon discovered the Digidestined, a name thought up by Taiki Yamada, could create their own partner digimon from their minds and empower them, digivolving them years before a normal digimon would. For reasons unexplained thus far, Kaito has been seen on the side of Baihumon, God of Metal and Beasts and Lord of the West. He is also currently searching out the remaining fragments of the prophecy, shown below (Named by the location at which it was found):

Central Fragment:

_**In the Age of Rebirth the world will be thrust into a struggle of Chaos and Order…**_

_**From the Land of Creators, nine will come with the key...**_

_**When surrounding the Guiding Light.**_

Western Fragment:

_**The battle divided, between the Sword and the Shield, marked by Fate…**_

_**The Sword shall strike the Shield, and the Shield shall repel the Sword…**_

_**The Heroes will decide the fate of the world, between Light and Dark.**_

A couple of weeks later, Shingen Takeda, heir to the prestigious Takeda Clan, and Emi Hamano, daughter of a powerful corporate head, came to the digital world. They appeared to have come through a game given to Shingen uncle, Emi was unfortunate enough to be around at this point. (This also raises the question of Shingen's uncle, since the game shop owner seemed shocked that Taiki could see the game it is assumed that only special people could see these keys to the digital world, and whether Emi is really a chosen child.)

Evidently Emi and Shingen did meet Jijimon, like most of the other children would as well, and after leaving they decided to travel East, where Shingen began a rapid rise through the ranks, eventually leading a band of free lance digimon. Shingen seems to display a great deal of freedom while leading his armies, suggesting that Azulongmon has great trust in Shingen, which may be a testament to his charismatic personality and aura. On the battlefield Shingen appears calm, collected, and determined in his convictions to fight this war to its end. Off the battlefield however he is shown to be under great strain from the responsibility he carries, whether this responsibility was taken or given to him is unknown. Away from the clamor of battle it appears he still struggles with thoughts of his father and his reluctance to harm digimon, shown in his attempts to cause his enemies to run and rout, rather then trying to enclose them a delete them all. His current goals are unknown, but it hinted that he may be planning an invasion of the South.

Emi, Shingen's bride to be, is swept up in the events of her future husband's war for peace. While she has deep feelings for the Takeda she struggles with attempts to impress him and help herself get over the years of being taught to be a traditional women. She is currently absent, sent on a mission by Shingen after Emi failed in defeating Ayumi Fujiwara.

A week after Shingen and Emi appeared, the ninth child appeared in the digital world without anyone knowing of his entrance. (He was called the ninth child because he was the last to become known, but he is technically the fourth.) He apparently never met Jijimon so what he had been doing up to his arrival during the battle with SkullMeramon is unknown, more interestingly, it is unknown how Sasuke "Scion" Mitsurnari gained his partner digimon ,Dorumon, or how Scion was able to digivolve Dorumon into Dorugamon. His torn clothing may tell that Scion's time in the Digital World has been rough, but it remains to be seen. No doubt many other questions will rise as we see more of the youngest Digidestined.

A few days after Scion, Michiko Hasegawa appeared. It is assumed she met with Jijimon but it is never confirmed, but since Jijimon stated that the ninth child was the only child he did not meet it can be assumed that she did meet him. Why she is affiliated with the North is unknown and may only be a result of her peace loving nature. She was last seen leaving Taiki to fight SkullMeramon. SkullMeramon later stated he captured Michiko and she is currently being held hostage. Her personality most closely resembles Taiki's in that she is a lover of peace and that she dislikes fighting. She is highly energenic and very friendly towards those around, if not a bit rambunctious at times.

Finally, two weeks after Shingen and Emi came, Taiki Yamada, Tommy Draggers, Ayumi Fujiwara, and Riku Sakamoto, came to the digital world. They were the largest group to appear and the most dysfunctional, but it can be said that its due to their numbers that they survived the encounters that they met, such as Musyamon, Ninjamon, and Taiki's kidnapping (It can also be said that it was due to their large group that they were so easily found by enemies.) While the group had many successes they broke apart after the Siege of Kassel by Shingen Takeda. A sudden realization of the magnitude of their situation drove the four to make a choice, and with no apparent way to get back home, it seemed that the only thing to do was to fight on a side. Ayumi and Riku would go South, Tommy West, and Taiki north.

The group separated but their troubles did not. Almost instantly Ayumi and Riku were captured and forced to part on separate missions, Ayumi to kill the Dragon's Champion (Shingen), only to fail and be captured. Riku was forced to aid Karatemon, Ayumi's and Riku's captor, in the counter-attack on the West. While Riku's current position is unknown, Ayumi was sent, ironically by Shingen, to meet back up with Riku and spy on Karatemon to sabotaged his efforts.

Tommy met a similar fate to Ayumi. Intercepted by Kaito and his partner Gaomon, Tommy was dealt a swift defeat and was last seen as a captor of Kaito.

Taiki had the best of luck at first, after a small run-in with some Veggiemon, Taiki met up with Michiko Hasegawa, his home world crush, and they spent a few days in relative quiet. until SkullMeramon, commander of the South's northern diversionary forces attacked in mass. The battle was bleak, with Taiki being unconscious for a short period of time, until Scion appeared on the battlefield displaying an awesome power not seen among the other digidestined, the closest being Shingen's Champion form partner, Dinihyumon, defeating a Ninjamon in one blow, though that may have only occurred due to Ninjamon's fatigue.

Now Scion and Dorugamon prepare to fight SkullMeramon, an Ultimate who had defeated two digidestined already. The outcome of this battle may very well decide the fate of the North.

-----

Okay, so hopefully that allowed you to gives you guys a sort of map of the events so far. This should fix any confusion about the arrival of the Chosen Child and hopefully it will give you a bit more to think about!

So, this week I have exams but next week I should be good to go for a new chapter! So I apologize to my readers and hope that you will return when my next update comes along! Also, sorry for typos, since this was informal I didn't focus as hard as I do normally on this. I hope no one minds.

To all my reviews and readers, thank you for all of your reviews and support!

-Arc.


	17. A True Hero

Chapter 15: A True Hero.

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

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**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 5:00 PM**

_**POV: Sasuke 'Scion' Misunari**_

"In your favor? Haha…hahahahaha!" SkullMeramon bellowed so loud that Taiki had the urge to cover his ears.

Scion wasn't disturbed though. He was ready, primed, and rearing to go. He sighed softly and pointed at SkullMeramon. Seconds later Duragamon was aiming.

SkullMeramon's laugh stopped as soon as he caught wind of the attack, but his reactions proved a tad too slow for the relentless pair. Another ball of metal erupted from Dorugamon's mouth and careened into the center of the dragon champion's flaming target.

_Got 'im!_

The attack had such force that SkullMeramon was pushed back several yards before the attack exploded. The Ultimate skid across the ground like a bouncing bowling ball, leaving a trail of seared earth in his wake.

"Alright! Don't give him a moment's rest; no mercy for those that do evil!" Scion pointed into the rising cloud of dust created moments ago by the explosion. "Get him again, Dorugamon!"

"Power Metal!" Another ball spat from the beast dragon's mouth. The familiar crash of it connecting with something rang throughout the battle ground. A tense silence passed before the rattling of chain and whirling of wind signified that something foul was going on.

"Back!" Dorugamon roared as its own attacked was launched out of the smoke and back to its origins. Dorugamon dashed in front of its partner and swatted the ball aside with its tail.

"You'll have to do better then that to beat me!"

SkullMeramon chain whipped out of the cloud of smoke, slicing a large arc towards Scion. The hero dove to the ground while his partner rose into the air. Dorugamon roared and charged towards the Ultimate, diverting his attention away from his human counterpart.

Seeing the attack SkullMeramon used his own, Metal Flame, to counter. The dragon beast champion rose higher into the air, flying over the attack, and then firing another iron orb from his mouth. Another metal ball, another hit, another seething SkullMeramon, and the cycle continued.

Scion watched from a safe distance as Dorugamon put his speed and flight ability to good use. No matter how strong SkullMeramon's attacks were, if they couldn't connect they amounted to nothing. Scion watched with something liken to impatience; the flaws of youth were starting to wiggle through the cool hero persona that he had worked so hard to put up until a crack turned to a fissure.

_AHH! THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG! _Scion roared mentally as he gripped his head as if in pain, with Taiki looking on is sudden confusion. Scion then began to run towards SkullMeramon.

"Hey, ugly! Over here!"

A grunt of surprise was the only thing signifying SkullMeramon's drastic change in attention as he instinctively whipped his weapon above his head and then in another wide arc towards Scion., who continued to run as the chain came closer. When the chain came within several yards of Scion the boy leapt into the air and was swept up by Dorugamon before tossed the boy back to the ground

"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!" Dorugamon roared angrily as he banked to the right.

Scion scoffed, "Bah, don't worry about me!"

SkullMeramon, sensing a break in their concentration, poised for another attack on Scion. "Metal Flame!" SkullMeramon opened his mouth, preparing to fire, and at that exact moment Dorugamon came straight down on SkullMeramon's head, clapping his mouth shut.

"BOOM BOOM!" Scion roared, a feeling of triumph surged through his mind

In the background Taiki couldn't help but feel slightly awed, if a bit annoyed. _They planned that? Even their arguing? What kind of group are they?_ Taiki asked himself.

SkullMeramon's face lit up with agonizing surprise as his own attack exploded inside his mouth. The Ultimate was completely thrown off his feet and to the ground. He grabbed his jaw and stared at Dorugamon, who was now circling from above, with bitter resentment.

"You…." SkullMeramon whispered, "You won't beat me!" SkullMeramon grounded his feet into the earth and with a terrible surge of anger he began to shoot flaming metal wildly at the dragon beast digimon. Dorugamon darted to and fro, easily dodging the attacks but finding no place to counterattack.

"STAY STILL!" SkullMeramon continued on his war path, firing at Dorugamon with extreme prejudice.

Scion stood to the side now, watching with that same intense interest from when he first appeared. He seemed enthralled with the fight as if it were a grand finale to a show that he couldn't bear to miss. He stood leaning over slightly with his hand bent and up near his face, with an occasion gasp when Dorugamon came into a close call.

Scion wouldn't have missed this for the world.

-----------------

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 5:30 PM**

_**POV: Taiki Yamada**_

Taiki had been rather skeptical when Sasuke came into the fray. He was absolutely the same as he had always been, irrational, impulsive, and rash. Even so, his partner was incredibly strong and even when they seemed to be arguing they were actually working together. While Taiki wasn't completely throwing away the possibility that SkullMeramon could win he was starting to lean towards the possibility, and believe, that he would and could lose, that Sasuke could beat SkullMeramon.

He looked to his partner in his arms, Puffmon, and then to Dorugamon who was playing a game of 'dodge the flaming balls of metal' and seemed to be doing an excellent job of it. Taiki shot a glance towards Sasuke, or Scion as he liked to be called, and saw that he was sucked into the fight as if it were a game.

_A game!_ Taiki remembered that it was highly likely that Sasuke still thought that this world was a game. Taiki almost resolved to go over to him and convince him to be more careful and try to make him understand the seriousness of the situation….but.

_What if…_Taiki began to wonder if, just maybe, it was this misinformation that gave Sasuke his strength. Would Sasuke be as powerful if he was worried about actually dying? Or would he be stronger knowing? Taiki just wasn't willing to risk the possibility of Sasuke panicking if the truth was given to him, which in turn would lead them all to a painful end.

Taiki looked to his partner and closed his eyes in thought._ If only Puffmon was awake….then maybe we could help._ Taiki looked towards Sasuke and closed his eyes. Since when had Sasuke become so courageous?

_No….Sasuke had always been a hero, hadn't he?_

_**::FLASH BACK::**_

Taiki remembered the first time he met Sasuke. It was during that time that before Tommy had come into his life but after his grandfather had passed away. During those times Taiki didn't do well with others; his years of isolation had made it hard to adapt to the fast world of elementary kids.

Despite how much better Taiki was now, even then Taiki would often climb into his favorite tree and watch the other kids play with each other. Sports, games, music, and everything else.

It was early that day, before school had started and the kids were running around. He had looked down from his tree and saw a girl and a boy, senior level middle school kids (9th Grade in most American schools). The girl was fumbling as the boy read a letter that she had written. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the girl was confessing her feelings for the boy.

Taiki's initial feeling of happiness for the two was quickly dashed as the boy flatly rejected the girl's feelings, his reasons muffled by a sudden wind. He left her alone as she sat down next to the tree trying to cope with this harsh duping. Taiki sighed and wanted to go down to her…but he was so young, she wouldn't listen to him, especially not him of all people. He had to suffer through her sobbing, which became worse as the seconds ticked by.

Taiki closed his eyes sadly and when he opened them again he saw him, Sasuke. The boy stood over the girl's crouched figure and waited until the girl noticed him by looking up at him. She started to ask him to leave her alone but never got the words out before Sasuke had knelt down, his eyes on her, and extended his hand to her, a rose clasped in his tiny hand.

She asked him what he was doing and what he said left a powerful impression on Taiki. Even though they never became friends he always smiled when he saw the boy in the halls. They would never become good friends and only knew each other through their own reputations. And even though Sasuke never knew it, Taiki deeply admired him.

Sasuke simply gave her the rose and whispered, "Because I hate to see people get hurt." He titled his head and winked at her, "Especially a girl that looks like an angel!" Sasuke grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. He waved a finger at her, "Never cry over jerks like those!"

The girl seemed completely taken aback and the only thing she could think to ask was who he was, to which he responded with a smile.

"Don't you know? I'm the _hero_."

The boy smiled again and trotted off to play with the other kids. Taiki watched him leave. He looked back at the girl and was surprised to see that she was clutching the rose to her heart and smiling, with tears still in her eyes.

_**::FLASH BACK::**_

_Yeah…Sasuke has always been a hero. Always._

Taiki's eyes opened slowly, focusing on Sasuke. No…it was Scion now. Taiki smile brightly, raised his hand in the air, and called out to Scion.

Scion turned his head and Taiki shouted, "Do your best Scion!"

Scion smiled and nodded before returning his attention to the battle at hand. Taiki looked to his partner and turned Puffmon in the direction of Scion.

_Watch, Puffmon, Scion will be our measuring stick. Maybe one day we can become as strong as him and have the same strength he's always had._

-------------------

**Northern Territory- Central Terminal - Day 7 - 6:00 PM**

_**POV: Sasuke 'Scion' Mitsunari**_

"Its time to end this Dorugamon!" Scion called out to his partner, suddenly feeling spurred on by Taiki's encouragement.

His partner roared viciously, "I'm going to tear you apart, SkullMeramon!" The champion dropped low to the ground and began to fly just above the earth, continuing to dodge the attacks.

"I won't let you beat me!" SkullMeramon trumpeted as he resorted to putting everything into one last attack, desperate and tired from his numerous failed attacks.

"METAL FLAME!" A massive attack erupted from SkullMeramon's mouth, leaving no room for Dorugamon to dodge without completely abandoning his attack. The champion roared like an angry beast intent on his prey and continued on his path.

"For everyone who died in this battle…" Sasuke started before throwing his head back and yelling, "DESTROY HIM!" As powerful as Dorugamon had already been it wasn't until now that everyone around felt Scion, and the power of his heart. To Taiki it overwhelmed everything he had felt previously. The power was almost unrealistic in many ways.

Dorugamon glowed faintly, but not as strongly as when digivolving, as if was just short of what was needed to reach the next level. The glow covered him like a golden bullet that smashed right into the streaming blue flame. A moment of silence passed, ending with a mighty roar and Dorugamon erupting on the other side of the attack.

"Wha.." SkullMeramon's eyes opened with fear as he stood paralyzed. He felt his end nearing.

"Game over," Dorugamon muttered, "NOW BE GONE!" Dorugamon slammed into SkullMeramon with such force that the champion completely passed through the Ultimate's chest. SkullMeramon cried out in pain as he fell backwards from the impact.

His data dissipated before he even hit the ground.

Dorugamon came skidding to a halt. He looked back over his shoulder and, seeing his job done, sighed deeply before trotting over to Scion. The boy reached up and petted his partner, giving his congratulations. Dorugamon muttered for him to stop treating him like a pet and when Scion laughed and continued to pet him he snapped at him angrily.

Scion looked up at Taiki and ran over to him, waving his hands in the air. When he reached Taiki he gave him a thumbs-up "Mission accomplished!"

Dorugamon snorted, "We still have the main battle going on."

Taiki laughed, "Let's go back to their main camp and save Michiko." Taiki put a hand on Scion's shoulder. "With SkullMeramon gone I think they'll fall apart soon. You are a real hero…Scion."

Scion gave a toothy grin and leapt up unto Dorugamon's back. "Don't worry about it! You go and tell everyone that SkullMeramon is dead while me and Dorugamon will go and get Michiko. We'll meet back up afterwards!" Taiki nodded his approval.

They waved and went their separate ways. Scion left in such a rush that he didn't notice he was being watched by Taiki. If he had looked over his shoulder he would have saw the face of an admirer who had always looked up to him.

From the very start, with just a rose.

---------------------------------

**A/N: **Okay, feel free to beat me with a blunt object for being so late, and for it being short. I had the worst week and my writing time was pretty slow. Even while writing this I had to really push myself to finish. Thankfully I had someone look at it and fixed most of the stuff I left in there…which btw, some of it made me beat my head on my desk going 'What the $# was I thinking?!' but that's another story all together. So thanks to Sorano for fixing this car wreck that I had, I won't make excuses as to why it ended up that way, bows in apology

Any who, this chapter is shorter as it is only about the fighting with SkullMeramon and a bit about Sasuke's background. As a writer I feel the need to tell you all now that this chapter will be a cliff hanger. I say that because we are going to jump backwards a few days without telling you what happened with the actual battle, evil laughter.

So next chapter we are getting in the time machine and finding out what Ayumi, Riku, Kaito, Tommy, Emi, and possibly Shingen were doing while Taiki, Michiko, and Scion were fighting for their lives!

Thanks for your support and sorry for the delay! Read, review, and enjoy.

-Arc


	18. The Other Side of the Coin

Chapter 16: The Other Side of the Coin

_**Legend**_

_**Italics shows character thoughts**_

**Word shows Date, time, and location**

_**-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing**_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Western Territory- The Great Plains - Day 7 - 11:00 AM**

_**POV: Riku Sakamoto**_

Riku gritted his teeth. Things had certainly gone downhill since they had begun to really confront Leomon and his men. They had suffered through two losses and one meager victory, morale was low, and they had half a day before reinforcements came to help, at the earliest.

But stranger than that was Riku's newfound trust in dreams. Their third battle had been a mirror copy of what he dreamt. Except for the last part. Instead of being struck down he was saved by Dracmon, who digivolved without his help, having accumulated enough experience to make the change on his own.

But that didn't bother him anymore. It had taken a while, and many detours, but he found his strength again but after a bit of soul searching he was able to finally did get it down. He didn't have to have some overwhelming emotion to help Dracmon. On the contrary, it seemed that anything mental could be used. Emotions were just stronger and more readily available than other sources. But Riku had learned to turn his mind to use his strategies, equations, and formulas to fuel his power. The idea had come to him when he recalled Jijimon's explanation on the Power of Heart. If Riku continued to think of it as such, a math equation he found he could push Dracmon to that higher level.

"Commander!" Riku snapped out of his daydream. Just for today, he had been made a squad leader to carry out special assignments. Karatenmon pretty much left him to his own devices so long as he helped the army progress. The Candlemon in front of him was waiting for orders to relay.

Riku nodded and began shifting gears to his current problem: They were outnumbered, fighting in heavy jungle terrain. To their back was a river. To the back of the Beast digimon was a wall of earth that rose up for roughly a hundred feet.

Luck was on their side this day. Riku wasn't lucky enough to make a very well thought out plan but he was able to make one, as rushed as it might be.

"Tell everyone to retreat across the river." Riku snapped.

"You can't command the entire battalion." The soldier retorted.

Riku growled, "Then lie and say it was Karatenmon's idea. Just get everyone across the river."

The small flame digimon saluted and then hovered off to spread the word. After the rookie was gone, Riku jogged forward to where the battle was actually taking place. It was a garbled scene of random attacks that, knowing digimon, could be anything from flaming balls to poop shards. You just never knew with digimon. His own partner, Sangloupmon, was fighting with the best of them. While his partner was a strong digimon by normal standards he didn't have the same advantages the others on his side had.

Riku had learned that most of the digimon particular to the South were fire and flying types. If you could fly you had a massive advantage over beasts, and if you could use fire you could set the fertile plains around you aflame, harming your enemies while giving yourself time to escape. The most devastating of Karatenmon's troops were the Shadramon.

Shadramon were armor digimon, meaning they use the old way to digivolve, by use of digimentals. Riku had learned that this form of digivolution was very common before the population boom, which allowed more digimon to fight with stronger opponents to gain experience to digivolve. Riku had heard that their kind was small today and they held a kind of elite status within their organizations, similar to human nobility in the medieval times.

And it was those digimon that Riku had been given command of, a small fifty-Shadramon squad. At first Riku thought it was silly to have such a small group, but quickly learned that small numbers could do things that larger groups couldn't, and possibly affect a battle in larger ways then one might think.

Now was such a time.

Riku ran forward, hands waving out to his personal squad. Sangloupmon was the first to see Riku coming and instantly broke away from battle with a Garurumon to act as an escort.

"You are getting bold again, Riku." Sangloupmon growled, knowing that a human could not fight like a digimon.

Riku ignored the comment and, climbing onto the back of his partner, called for his men to follow him to the rendezvous point. A few of the Shadramon broke away instantly, others had to finish their current fighting before it was safe to turn their back on the battle at hand.

The Sangloupmon skid to a halt a small distance from the river. Riku hopped off and turned to his partner, "You remember your part." A gruff growl was the answer that Sangloupmon gave.

Riku smiled briefly before taking the fastest route to the river. When he arrived he saw Karatenmon waiting on the other side, not at all happy. The school bully waded across, realizing his leather attire might not be the best at this water party.

On the other side Riku turned and looked up stream; the makeshift dam was in place, it seemed. Now they just needed the enemy to blindly run into the water and _swoosh_, off they go to oblivion, or to the ocean if one wanted to be completely literal.

The enemy came only as far as the river bed, they seemed quite intent on keeping them on the other side of the river. Karatenmon gave the order to fire on them and soon an old fashioned shoot out had begun. The Western forces were not going to allow the South to take any land of theirs without some form of payment, and in this case the currency was spent digimon lives.

Karatenmon moved towards Riku and grabbed the boy by the arm, "What was the meaning of this? Moving us across the river?" Karatenmon pointed to several of his men. They were fire types and moving through the water had been a risky gamble. Those fire types that couldn't fly were worn down by the water, those like Meramon or Candlemon who need their flame to fight.

"Tsk," Riku scoffed. He opened his mouth when he saw the movement. Riku simply pointed towards the backs of the Western lines. Formed up in a single long line, the Shadramon were charging straight forward using their special attack, Flare Buster, which engulfed their bodies in flames. The single line came careening into the backside of the unsuspecting Beast digimon and had the desired affect of causing a riot, and more than half of them turned to fight the new enemy.

"Now, have all our ranged forces continue to fire on them, and have our flyers attack from the sky, push them into the water…Commander." Riku advised.

He thought that Karatenmon would be angry, but if he was he didn't show it. Instead he gave the commands just like Riku told him to give. The plan worked just like Riku hoped it would; the Western army was being pressed on two sides and with attacks from their rear coming from flaming digimon, one had no choice to but run to the only safe place….water.

They pressed into the river and Riku, finally, gave his attendant, the Candlemon from before, the signal to let the dam free. The river surged forward, sending roughly seventy percent of theremaining Beast digimon downriver, and far from the battle.

After that it was a simple matter of bullying the rest of the pipsqueaks into submission.

All in all, it took roughly half an hour to finally round up the rest of the Western army and either delete them or get them to surrender. When the battle was over, everyone gathered around Karatenmon on the other side of the river.

They formed in a large circle on the charred earth where the Shadramon made their pivotal charge on the enemy rear. The tall grass had burned to ash and was scattered about by a cooling breeze. Everyone looked up to their leader for his victory speech.

"Men, I have to congratulate you on this victory. With this battle we've finally captured a foot hold on the enemy territory. From this ground we can accept our brothers in safety when they come to reinforce our crusade to take the Western lands! Soon, my brothers, Baihumon will bow before our Lord! Continue to follow my leadership and we will be victorious!"

The mon cheered softly; the battle had tired them out and they needed rest. Karatenmon understood this and immediately ordered camp to be pitched and for Riku's group to stand watch while the others rested.

Riku could have laughed. Karatenmon was a leader, he had charisma, there was no doubt about that. But he wasn't a battle commander, that was for sure. He couldn't lead his men to victory; he could only lead them to battle and hope for the best. Riku took pride in his ability to do what he could not, he could see a battle before him, take it, shape it, and direct his men to victory. Karatenmon was like a the King in chess, a single piece that couldn't do much, Riku on the other hand was the player, one who could manipulate the entire board…and win.

Still, he was a bit angry about his victory praise being taken away. Surely a few of the soldiers here knew that it was him that had really pulled the strings.

Oh well, not everything happened like it should.

"Riku, I say we bite that Karatenmon in the face!" Dracmon snarled. Sangloupmon had reverted to his rookie form after he joined up with Riku and had since been hovering over his right shoulder.

Riku shrugged his shoulders, "Forget it, let him think he's controlling us. We know he's incompetent."

"You should say things so bluntly, young human."

Riku's eyes flashed to the side where a Meramon was standing with three others, all of whom had stopped to listen to the human speak. Riku glared at them, as if to challenge them. The three moved forward and their leader whispered, "We know who it is that saved this army. We fight for the South, not for Karatenmon and as long as you remain loyal…you will have allies here." The lead Meramon backed away and continued on his rounds with his own kind. Riku watched them walk away in silence.

To say Riku wasn't pleased would be a lie, but he wasn't really all that thrilled either. What he saw was an army who's loyalty was divided. If they were loyal to Zhuqioamon rather then to Karatenemon, then that meant that Karatenmon could be dealt with whenever Zhuqioamon grew tired of him, or his failures.

With that the final piece fell into place. Karatenmon wasn't using Riku, he _needed _Riku. Riku fouled up his past attempt to take the Western lands and that must have put him on his King's bad side. So he wasn't ready to go back to his Lord yet…he wanted to have a chunk of land and two humans as gifts when he returned, to gain his Lord's favor.

"I got it, Dracmon. I got his weakness." Riku smiled.

_The game begins anew, Karatenmon._

----------

**Western Territory- Unknown Campsite - Day 7 - 8:00 AM**

_**POV: Tommy Draggers**_

The flap to Tommy's captivity tent was pushed aside and Kaito, along with Gaomon, sauntered in the tent. Tommy was sleeping and had been for sometime now. The thought to let them sleep only lasted a moment before Kaito was reminded that he couldn't bring Tommy with him unless he carried his own weight.

Kaito moved forward and nudged Tommy with his foot but received no reply. Kaito waited a moment to see if Tommy would be roused. Nothing. Kaito then nudged him again and, to his great surprise, saw Tommy twist around onto his other side, his hands free, and could only gasp for air as Tommy grabbed his legs and pulled him to the ground.

Tommy straddled himself over Kaito and yelled to his face, "Why?! WHY DID YOU-" Tommy was struck aside by Gaomon, though it was a far lighter blow then what Tommy had experienced before.

Kaito shook himself after he stood and sighed, "To find something out. Look at yourself." Kaito pointed at Tommy. Tommy, although hesitantly, obeyed and looked at his person.

"What? There isn't anything wrong." Tommy angrily replied.

"Exactly. Gaomon thrashed you, and you didn't bleed nor did you break anything."

Tommy didn't seem to understand what Kaito was getting at and stayed silent, apparently he was calmer now that he had taken some sort of action.

"We don't have normal bodies of blood and flesh anymore. Our bodies are data, I think. We can take a whole lot more punishment then before and we can't really break our bones….I think we would need corrupted data to have broken limbs." Kaito mused to himself.

"Wait…are you saying you attacked me to find out if we were made of data? That's why you almost killed me? How irresponsible are you!?" Tommy barked.

"If was he irresponsible, we would have left you to die by some other digimon's hand. You shouldn't speak so rashly." Gaomon retorted, since he himself had said that it would have been better to leave the human.

"Well, in any case, I used you because Gaomon wouldn't hurt me, nor would anyone else I asked. It was a rather difficult position." Kaito clarified further.

"…Don't tell me this is what you were talking about earlier!? That is the reason you attacked me?!" The need to blindly attack Kaito was surging again and it was difficult for Tommy to suppress that feeling; it seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Well, for attacking you, yes…"Kaito nodded, "That was the reason, I needed to find out about our bodies." Kaito nodded again.

"You little --!"

"That's not the only reason we went looking for Tommy, Kaito…stop torturing him. Isn't it our responsibly to enlighten him?" Gaomon interrupted.

Coughing slightly, Kaito, more then a little embarrassed, continued, "True. I'm sorry about the fight Tommy, but there was a reason I brought you with me." Kaito put a finger to his own forehead, "Doesn't make sense to bring you along if we just wanted to beat you up, right?"

Again the feeling to beat the snot out of Kaito rose up in Tommy, but it was quickly squashed by curiosity. A quick council within himself decided that a wait-and-see approach might be better than a 'Fight your way out' strategy.

"I was the first of us to appear here, the first to meet Jijimon, supposedly." Kaito stopped himself and took a seat on the ground, waving for the others to follow suit. "Well, when I came here Jijimon and I began researching a table of prophecy that supposedly foretold our role in this world." Kaito pointed to Gaomon, "Through the prophecy and other oracles we found out how to create our partners, and how to digivolve them…well, we got the idea anyway, exactly how it is done doesn't make sense unless what I believe to be true is, in fact, correct and we ARE data, which could mean that we have a data-link to our partners which allows them to take strength from us."

Taking a breath, Kaito continued, "After a while I set out to find the rest of the prophecy; after all, it made no sense to fight a battle without an objective. And so here we are. I've decided that gathering us all together while trying to find the missing prophecy pieces is the quickest way to ending this conflict."

Tommy took a moment to digest this information, wondering if he should believe this guy or not. In the end it did make sense and, in this world, he couldn't rule anything out. Again Tommy decided on a wait-and-see approach, with a small adjustment.

"Well, you won't gather all of the kids that easily." Looked down at this feet Tommy recalled his last moments with his friends, "I came with three others and they've…gone their separate ways."

Gaomon groaned, "Where did they go?"

"Two to the south, Riku Sakamoto and Ayumi Fujiwara, and Taiki Yamada to the north." Tommy replied.

Kaito cringed, "Not good, I've been getting reports all morning that SkullMeramon, one of the top Southern Generals, has been moving massive troops into the North. Something is going to happen, and it'll happen big."

"..That means…Taiki.." Tommy cursed under his breath, his best friend was going to be caught right in the middle, he was sure. There was no way Taiki was going to just stand by and let things happen. "We have--"

"We can't." Gaomon cut Tommy off again.

Kaito nodded, "He's right. The West is under siege as well. Karatenemon, one of the lesser generals of the South has been making advances into the West and we, meaning you and me, along with Gaomon, need to move and help them. That's why you were coming West right? You parted with your friends to help this side?"

Tommy nodded solemnly.

"Alright, then, it's settled. We will pack our things and move to help Leomon's troops on the front lines." Kaito touched his chin, "I hear the enemy has a brilliant new strategist. I wonder what kind of digimon he is."

"Just one question, "Tommy stood up and dusted himself off, "What happened to Commandramon?"

Someone might as well shot a bullet into the air; the atmosphere became so tense one could suffocate in it. Kaito looked to Gaomon for an answer. Tommy's heart sank.

"He was eating the last time I saw." Gaomon answered plainly.

"…Eating?" Tommy asked, dumbfounded.

Gaomon nodded, "He proved to be much more cooperative than you. We promised we'd take good care of you as long as he behaved and help us with our work here." Gaomon stood, along with Kaito, "He's kept his bargain. You can go see him now, and you should eat something anyway."

Kaito and Gaomon left the tent, saying only that they would be leaving soon and to hurry up and eat something for the journey. That sinking hatred Tommy had for the two seemed only to grow.

_Why didn't they tell me that Commandramon was okay in the first place?! I wouldn't have attacked Kaito if I knew otherwise…_

Tommy wanted to seethe a bit more but his body demanded food and so the half-American left the tent go find his partner and eat, deciding that he really, really, hated those two guys.

-----------

**Eastern Territory - Day 7 - 11:00 PM**

_**POV: Emi Hamano**_

Emi couldn't be happier then she was now, far away from the pressure of being near Shingen and having only a simple responsibility. Shingen had charged her with delivering a parcel to the Northern God, Ebonwumon.

She had been traveling for several hours but it would take almost a day to get into the Northern country on foot. Emi wished she could fly. It would cut down the time to get to the Northern Border to hours rather than the days the ground, since you could fly over the many valleys, and rivers that frequented the East. And that was only to the borders, going into the heart of the Northern lands was a much more vast trek, and even then the time varied with the routes you took. In Emi's case, she was going the long way.

Even so, it was a nice day and she was enjoying the freedom she now had. Salamon was prancing about, smelling a few things here and there. Overall the two hadn't spoken much since their departure and Emi knew it was because of her behavior before. Salamon was waiting for her to make the first move.

_I should apologize.._

"Hey, Salamon." Emi called out to her partner, who seemed to have found something and was examining it. The grass in this place rose up to just below Emi's shoulders and there was no telling what Salamon had found - perhaps another digimon?

"Salamon, what--" Emi gasped. Salamon wasn't examining anything…she was frozen stiff. Emi was staring down the eyes of a dinosaur digimon, large but not monstrous. It had a thick gray and white fur covering its body, red eyes and claws. And in its forehead was a large red gem of some sort.

"Emi…step back slowly, this guy isn't nice." Salamon insisted, taking a step back herself. The large beast took a heavy step forward with a low growl.

Emi swallowed hard and took a step back, another, and another. She tripped. A piece of loose dirt or something had caused her to miss her footing and she tumbled back. Salamon saw the motion and abruptly turned to see if she was okay, and that same action was taken by the digimon as a sign of aggression. It opened its mouth and roared, a mighty roar that would scare away all but the mightiest of contenders.

It charged, Emi gasped, Salamon cried out. Then a large object came down on its back and the beast veered to the left. Emi shot to her feet as the other participant rode the digimon like a horse, holding fast to its neck. The dragon jumped, kicked, flipped, and even flew high into the air twisting and turning, refusing to let whoever it was on its back stay there.

But persistent the rider was, and soon the dragon-beast saw that it could not win. It straightened itself out in the air and the rider was able to sit more comfortably. Emi assumed the two would leave peacefully, so imagine her surprise when they started coming directly back at her!

The duo touched down, kicking up broken grass blades. The digimon crushed the grass beneath him and revealed both itself and its rider.

It took moments to register who exactly the rider was. It happened slowly: a small human frame, wild smile, goggles. The rest quickly added up but Emi found herself unable to utter the words.

"Hey, that is you, Emi!" Sasuke cried out to her, leaping from his ride, Dorugamon. "I didn't think you were playing this game too!"

"Uh..uh.." Emi stammered, "Sa-Sasuke, what are you…doing here?"

"Duh, Emi. I'm playing the game." Sasuke smiled up at her, as if riding a wild dragon was everyday business.

Sasuke was like a little brother to Emi. When Emi had just come to the school to be near Shingen, it was Sasuke that had come up to her and offered a hand in adjusting to the daily routine of school. If it hadn't been for him she wouldn't have made the friends she had today.

**::FLASHBACK::**

_I'm lost…_

Emi sighed deeply and sat down on the top step of the second floor. She had been trying to find her first class during early recess hours, so that she wouldn't be late for any of them. Not to mention that she didn't know anyone out here. She held her books in her lap and stared at the stairs, following the pattern as they descended to the floor below.

The sounds of kids playing outside echoed through the halls, but no one had invited her to join in. She had only just met her new classmates and she wasn't upset that they hadn't taken to her right away. She wasn't a natural like some people.

_Like that stupid boy Takeda!_ Emi fumed to herself. Just thinking of him made her angry. What right did her father have to say who she should spend the rest of her life with? The nerve of that man!

As quickly as the anger came to her breast, it was quickly dashed with the realization that she had little chance at all to escape her fate. It was horrible, to have your entire life to be set before you…without any care for what you want to do with yourself.

"Here."

A tissue was thrust into Emi's face and only then did she realize a few tears had escaped her eyes. Emi looked up and saw a young boy, probably eight or seven. Emi smiled and took the cloth and wiped her eyes, the boy sitting next to her as she did so.

"Thank you."

The boy shook his head, "No need for thanks, it's what I do. Helping people, that is." He smiled at her before asking her name.

"Emi, Emi Hamano." Came the reply.

"I'm Sasuke; nice to meet you." Sasuke's eyes looked down on the books in her lap and the paper on top of the books, "Looking for your classes?"

She nodded. She showed him the list and heard him grunt and mumbled about not liking science, Emi's favorite subject. She giggled softly while he finished going over the rest of the list. He handed it back when he was done and offered to show her to her classes.

"Oh, no. I couldn't ask you to do that! You'll miss recess." Emi protested.

Sasuke shrugged, "Psh, I have recess everyday. You need help today! So I'm going to help and that's that." Sasuke took her by the hand and dragged her down the stairs in such a hurry that Emi dropped all her books, scattering them everywhere. They spent the next ten minutes laughing and the next five picking up her things. Then, true to his word, Sasuke showed her where all of her classes were.

Emi, to this day, had never been late to a class.

**::ENDFLASHBACK::**

"Emi? Heeelloooooo!" Sasuke waved his hand in front of the memory-seeking girl's face. Emi snapped back to reality and apologized three times for her daydreaming.

"Sasuke, is that your partner?" Emi asked of Dorugamon.

The boy nodded, "Yup, we met in the wilderness a while back and have been together ever since. He gets a little wild sometimes though…can be quite the hand full."

"Look who's talking, you're the animal, not me." Dorugamon growled. "I'm an ancient digimon, I've been in this world since its creation, don't mock me."

"Aww! Don't be so mean!" Sasuke had, oddly enough, suddenly latched himself unto Dorugamon's neck. The dragon champion roared and proceeded again to try and shake the boy off of him. Ssasuke won that round too.

"Well, I'm glad they get along….I guess." Salamon suddenly chimed in. She had decided to keep quiet and choose now to speak up.

"An odd pair for sure…" Emi pushed a blade of grass out of her face and decided she was tired of this and walked over towards the Eastern edge of the valley she was walking through, hoping to find a land bridge to cross over to make more progress towards the North.

"WAH!"

Emi abruptly turned to see that, finally, Dorugamon had shaken Sasuke from his neck and had thrown him down to the ground. The champion then bulleted into the sky to keep as much distance between him and his over-eager partner.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Salamon asked, "I'm Salamon, by the way."

Sasuke shook his head, "Nice to meet you. Call me Scion; that's my new name!"

"Scion? Why Scion?" Emi asked, interested in such a strange name.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment, "Well, I saw it on a big stone slab…I forget where. It's a cool name though, eh?" Sasuke, or Scion depending, looked up at his partner who was flying high above the ground. "Something's wrong. Dorugamon has seen something."

Emi looked up into the sky and it did appear that something was amiss, the heavyweight digimon was transfixed on something far to the north. Dorugamon was slowly descending but kept his gaze far off towards the horizon.

"What is it?" Concern was itched on Sasuke's face.

"An army is moving towards the north, a big one." Dorugamon muttered, "My eyes are many times better than yours but this army was still too large to just be a regular engagement….someone is planning something big."

While Emi was in thought, Sasuke was taking action. The boy hoisted himself up unto his partner's back, but Dorugamon seemed not to care this time. Emi hastily stopped him and asked where he was going.

"I'm going to stop them of course…if they keep fighting like this then nothing we will be resolved!" Sasuke declared, "That's our role in this game, right? To be the heroes?"

"You can't do that! You don't know what's going on, and if the army is as big as Dorugamon says then how can you stop them!?" Emi pleaded.

"Yeah, Sasuke, you can't go in alone like that!" Salamon barked, jumping back and forth frantically.

Dorugamon had pushed himself up into the air to turn in the direction of their flight. The two flew just over the cliff. Sasuke turned around, "Don't worry, me and Dorugamon won't get involved if we can't help. Who knows, maybe they aren't bad guys."

"This isn't a game, Sasuke! You can't really think this is a game; these are real battles, real fights…you can die!" Emi tried one last time to rein in the boy.

"I know that, this isn't a real game and someone could die." Sasuke pulled his goggles down over his eyes, "But doesn't that mean we have to try even harder? Lives are on the line and I won't sit by and do nothing!"

Emi reached out to him, as if to stop him somehow, but they had already shot off towards a new fight. Emi watched until she could no longer see the pair. It was strange to think they had just met half an hour ago…and now they were gone and Emi might never see them again.

"He'll be okay, Emi. He's got a strong heart…and his partner is pretty scary too." Salamon consoled her human counterpart.

"Yeah…I'm sure you're right." Emi knelt down and petted Salamon, "Let's get going, we've wasted enough time! Don't want to keep Shingen waiting too long."

"Yeah!"

So they started again on their journey north, knowing little of the dangers that was marching on the Northern Lands and the peril Sasuke was headings towards. But for Emi the worst would be over when she arrived. She was lucky enough to miss the battle, and unlucky enough to witness the aftermath.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A/N: ALRIGHT! I'm finally back, this chapter was a bit annoying since I had to do a lot of backtracking. So sorry for the delay, hopefully none of my readers have died in this short period of time.

So, I'm reading this and I realized, everything happened in one day! Concerning Taiki/Michiko/Scion. Not that its wrong but the three chapters to just those character makes one feel like it was a few days! On a note, only Emi, Shingen, and Kaito have really been into the countries. When I say it takes a day or two to get to one place or the other, I mean just to get to the borders. The nations themselves go pretty far in if you go deep inside. Just a note so that no one is confused.

Anyway, sorry for the delay, hopefully the next one won't be as slow coming. Oh, and there is a trend here, it started last chapter and continued in this one. You might not see it now, but it should become PAINFULLY obvious as the story goes on. Maybe I'll give you a hint sometime.

About the Title, its a bit odd, I know. I thought of it based on what this chapter is about, telling the story of the others. So while the North is heading to way, on the other side of the coin, other things are going on, just not as epic. XP.

ENJOY!

-Arc


	19. The Calm: Part I

Chapter 17: The Calm

Part 1

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Northern Territory - Central Terminal - Day 9**

**POV: Emi Hamano**

Two days after Sasuke ventured off to stop the invasion of the north, Emi herself made it to the northern forests. Coming up to the central domain, the Central Terminal Forest, Emi hoped to see a sight that would relieve her of the stress she had been carrying with her since Sasuke's departure. A sign that he was safe.

She wasn't so lucky.

Central Terminal, when coming into view, had obviously received its scars during the battle that had taken place. The original boundary of the forest had receded far, and the signs of fire, battle, and deletion covered where the lush forest had once been.

Emi bit her thumb, as she did often when she was at a lose for words, actions, or thoughts. The battle must have been huge, the line of destruction stretching beyond her sight in both directions. Even the smell of burning wood had failed to leave the area as of yet.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed, female stood in dumb silence while she settled the lump in her throat and tried to remove the fear lodged in her gut. Sasuke had been a part of this, she could feel it, but had he come out of it? She feared the worst.

One step forward, two steps, three steps, repeat. Emi couldn't tell her feet to move, to go forward and not to be afraid. She felt very alone at the moment.

Something nudged her leg, "Emi, don't be afraid, I'm here with you." Salamon nudged Emi again before trotting forward herself. "Just follow me. You'll be okay!"

_Don't be afraid, be strong, be strong. Strong._

Emi nodded and followed Salamon with a quicker step then she previously had. She had seen a lot of battles with Shingen, but none of them destroyed the landscape like this; Shingen had always done his best to prevent destruction on this scale. To think that someone would do this to such a place was unnerving.

As she passed into the broken grounds that had once been a forest, she began to see many small encampments full of woodland digimon - bugs, wood, monkeys, all manner of forest and jungle digimon. The North won! That could mean that Sasuke was well and alive. She hoped for the best.

Wandering through the camps she noted one in particular, namely because of the human sitting near a small fire; it was rather warm this morning. He was just as she had seen him weeks ago, still wearing that ridiculous hoodie, still sporting that hermit-style hairdo, and still with that look like he wasn't consciously aware of himself.

_Taiki Yamada._

Emi stepped forward slowly, "Yamada? Taiki Yamada? Is that you?"

The brown-haired boy's head jerked up when his name was called and looked away from Emi before turning to look back at her, as he attempted to find the origin of the his name calling. When Emi came into his view he took a moment to register that it was, in fact, another classmate of his.

"Emi!" Taiki rose to his feet and charged towards the little princess. "What are you doing here? I didn't think that you, of all people, would get stuck in this!"

Emi's right eyebrow twitched. "What does that mean?! Are you saying I can't handle it here, hmm?!" She stomped forward, causing Taiki to take a step back.

"No, no! I was, I uh…I…" The rest of Taiki's sentence reverted to his normal mumbles and incomprehensible language that he used to shield himself from a fiery female predator, and when Emi became flaming she was worse then Ayumi. Bottled up feelings could do that.

The Takeda's bride-to-be groaned, "Oh, get a hold of yourself Yamada. Just tell me if you've seen Sasuke. He said he was going to try and stop the battle that took place here."

"Sasuke? You mean, Scion? Yeah." Taiki pointed towards the inner reaches of the forest. "He came back with Michiko a while ago and said he was taking her to see Ebonwumon."

"Michiko is here? REALLY?!" Emi grabbed Taiki by the collar and began to shake him furiously.

If Tommy and Taiki were best friends, then Emi and Michiki were the female equivalent of that equation. The two did almost everything together and Michiko, with her carefree, outgoing, and upbeat personality, was someone that Emi really admired. Some would say that Michiko was the reason that Emi, when pushed too far, would explode, though Emi's bottled up emotions pushed what should be a normal reaction to an unprecedented level.

Taiki pulled himself free of Emi's grasp and informed the girl that the two would return in a day or so to give him their new orders, if any were to be given. Emi protested that she had been sent here to see Ebonwumon directly and that she had to see him, and Michiko, instantly. After a long one-sided argument, Emi being the winner over a mumbling Taiki, the forest boy decided to take Emi to see Ebonwumon.

---------

**Digimon World - Day 7 - 12**

**POV: None**

And as such, the digital world entered a moment of brief silence and peace. To the North Emi was brought to Ebonwumon, reunited with Michiko, and accomplished her mission that was given to her by Shingen, a mission to make an alliance between the North and the East to fight against the Southern forces, who had been constant enemies of both sides.

Sasuke, after delivering Michiko to Ebonwumon, left the North on rumors of battle to the West, between the Southern and Western forces. With heavy hearts, Michiko, Emi, and Taiki saw off the Hero of the North, as he had been named by Ebonwumon, as left to participate in yet another battle.

To the East, Shingen had completed every task he set out and, with hopes that Emi's mission would succeed, set out on his long-planned campaign of the South. His march would take five days to reach the South, with an army at his back. His army marched uncontested beyond the South's border, raising alarm in the largely offensive country.

During this period Riku was joined by Ayumi who relayed Shingen's plan to sabotage Karatenmon as he came to the South's aid, when Shingen finally made his assault. The former bully agreed to the strategy and began to slowly take away the support from under the Ulimate's nose by continuing to win small battles with less and less confirmation from Karatenmon.

Karatenmon, seeing his weakening grip on his men, was also attempting to rid himself of Riku, often by placing him or Ayumi at the center of danger. While Karatenmon's army was fighting this internal battle, the call from the South was sent out for all invasion armies to return in defense of the motherland. Forgetting his battle with Riku, Karatenmon pulled his army out of the West and rushed back to attack Shingen's army from the rear.

As Karetenmon left the West, Tommy and Kaito joined up with Leomon and decided to pursue the Southern army in an attempt to strike at them while Karatenmon was preoccupied with Shingen, the Dragon's Champion. Tommy, while skeptical of Kaito's motives and ambitions, fell into Leomon's group easily enough and was warmly accepted as a fellow warrior.

As the fifth day of the calm ends the digidestined found themselves moving towards another battle that could completely change the fate of the digital world.

The calm broke as the sixth day approached.

--------

**Southern Territory - South of Ironfist - Day 13 - 11:00 AM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

"Here we are, finally."

"Indeed, Shingen, the South lays before us."

They stood on Southern soil, in a valley between two mountain ranges. The army moved slowly, wary of an aerial attack, as it would be difficult to fend off with so many of their forces grounded. Still, progress was good and they would be at the first Southern stronghold, Ironfist, soon enough.

Ironfist was a castle similar to Kassel, only it was stationed in the middle of the only road leading to the greater portion of the country. Surrounded by mountains on both sides meant you had to go through the fortress, or over it, and Shingen had brought enough wrecking power to tear the mountains down if need be. His army was very different from before, in this confined area, a straight path through the mountains. He planned to bulldoze his way through to the elevated plains where the real battle would begin.

"We should be at Ironfist soon; we should get ready," Shingen advised himself. Kotemon grunted an agreement and followed his partner. The two convened in their tent, and as Kotemon grabbed his sword and righted his helmet, Shingen was going over his map and moving the numerous pieces about.

"Surrounded from the front and the rear… It won't be easy to win. But if Ayumi and Riku can come through on their end then we have a clear shot for Ironfist. The ease of victory depends on their work. If they fail we will have to fight a two-front war."

The two nodded to each other, Kotemon focusing more on the battle at hand while Shingen was thinking of the campaign and the hopeful victory he hoped to achieve today. From Ironfist he could launch his real invasion into the heart of the South.

He had only to wait until his army reached their first battle site.

-------

**Soutnern/Western Border - Day 13 - 11:00**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

"Let's go, the enemy is getting farther away every second!" Tommy waved his arm forward, trying to cheer his fellow comrades to greater distance in their forced march to catch up with Karatenmon's small army. While the beasts, agile and strong, admired Tommy for his vigor they had no more strength to give. Leomon sensed this fatigue and told them to make camp. Traveling for two days straight could tire anyone.

"Calm yourself, Tommy. Even the mighty soldiers of the West need rest and food. You too should tend to your own needs." Leomon advised.

Tommy sighed in defeat, "Yeah…I'm just so restless, I've been out of the action for a long time now and I think being beat by Kaito so easily has got me anxious to prove myself again."

Leomon shook his head, "That one, Kaito, is a strange human." Leomon looked around to make sure that Kaito was not present. "I would not trust him; he has motives of his own and I do not believe he is as honest as he would have you believe."

"Baihumon trusts in him though, right?"

"Lord Baihumon believes in the prophecy and the power of Humans, a power that I have yet to see."

Tommy nodded solemnly. His own faith in himself had been shaken by his easy defeat at Kaito's hands. But even that strength - Kaito's - seemed small and meager compared to the strength needed to change the fate of this world. They were like ants in a world controlled by the four gods. If they were to change anything, they….they would need….

Strength equal to the gods.

The thought bothered him. Could he even achieve power like that? At what cost? What should he do if he did obtain that power? It seemed like a light in the dark, but it was too far to reach for. Like reaching for the sun, something unobtainable, it burned if you touched its glory.

The boy sighed and went back to his partner and his new comrades. Such thinking was unbefitting of a soldier.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

A/N: 1) I'm SOOOOOOO Sorry, so sorry for the wait. 2) I've had a bitch of a month, and 3) I will explain a few things.

First off, my mom was sick for an entire week and me, being the oldest male in my family, had to take care of her for that week, meaning I missed school. A weak of missed school means a weak of make-up work. So it took me a week and some change to make it all up. Then here is the worst part, I returned to this finding that I have been burnt out. T-T, I'm sorry to say that I will have to let this story sit for a while, until my inspiration returns. I do this so that my quality does not drop, like it did in this chapter. Currently, I'm writing a smaller side story, based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I hope may spark me again. If you want to look at it, the title is "Avatar: Legacy of the Elements" I hope that it will do as well as this story does.

So, I'm sorry to say I will be gone for a while. I ask that everyone please me patient and I hope that you will all return when I start this story again, and I will start it again, mark my words!

I'm grateful to all my reviewers and I hope to see you again when I update next. Thank you all for your reviews, your patience, and your support. Thank you very much!

-Arc.


	20. The Calm: Part II

Chapter 18: The Calm

Part II

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digital World -Central - Day 13**

**POV: Jijimon**

Sitting in a chair, basking in the light of midday, Jijimon was in the middle of intense napping, the kind that only old men could achieve. He was sitting in a rustic rocking chair, wooden and colored with age. The elderly mon rocked back and forth, following the rhythm of his snoring as the minutes ticked by.

"My Lord." A voice echoed from behind the elderly man.

Jijimon betrayed nothing, for if he seemed surprised by the sudden entrance, he didn't show it. He opened his eyes, yawned and hopped out of his chair. He arched his back and then turned towards the voice, a hooded person who seemed of human height.

"Yes, yes, what have you learned?" Jijimon asked.

The man stood and started his report, "A large number of the Chosen Children are moving south, and with them armies of the South, West, and East. We can't be sure what the objectives of several of the Children are, but a major confrontation is inevitable."

"I see," Jijimon stroked his beard, "What of the unknown Child?"

"He was seen at SkullMeramon's siege of the north and, reports say, he destroyed SkullMeramon with his partner, Dorugamon." The hooded man replied.

Jijimon took this in and paced slowly, "I see, so the Ninth has contacted with a partner on his own…"

"Will that be a problem?"

"At best it should be nothing more than a minor issue." Jijimon moved to stand in front of his messenger, one of three. "What about _them_?"

"Nothing, no more clues; what we know of the prophecy is not enough." The messenger answered again.

Jijimon sighed, "I see, well, Kaito will solve the problem, I am sure. He can be trusted to piece the puzzle together."

The messenger shifted his weight, as if choosing his words, "I don't like trusting those children to do everything. We spent so much just to get them all here."

"Patience, my hasty friend, I believe in them. I believe they will fulfill the prophecy." Jijimon assured. "In the meantime, keep an eye on your Chosen ones."

"As you wish." And the messenger was gone.

Jijimon looked up at the blue sky after his messenger had vanished, "Oh yes, a new future for all. We need only have faith that those children can come through."

**Northern Territory - Central Terminal - Day 13 - 11:00 AM**

**POV: None**

"I can't believe this! Every other continent in the digital world is marching and we're doing nothing?"

Michiko's voice easily filled the small room that she, Taiki, and Emi were using. She had been ecstatic when Emi showed up and the two shared a moment of reunion before Emi stepped aside and fulfilled her mission. A proposal for Ebonwumon; an alliance between the North and East, a pact of non-aggression. Simply put, an agreement that the North and East would not take military action against the other, for an undefined amount of time.

That had been five days ago and Ebonwumon consulted his highest generals, as well as several other elderly digimon, over a four day period. In the end Ebonwumon accepted the proposal with open arms and hoped that peace would last as long as it could be sustained, an ominous statement to Chosen Children present.

The reason for Michiko's current emotional rage was the news of a large gathering of digimon moving to the south, which had evidently been invaded by the East's Dragon's Champion. Michiko has assumed that the North would go to aid the East, but Ebonwumon stated that no such agreement was made. The proposal was to stop military action between the North and East, not to support the other. Add to the equation that Sasuke, Scion to some, had left as soon as news of the battle came to his ears. A hero, as he said, could not wait for the rest of the world to move with him.

Taiki opened his mouth to speak, watched Michiko stomp on a twig and snap it in two, and closed his mouth just as quickly as he could. He was not going to brave the fires of Michiko, or any of the women he knew. In the back of Taiki's mind he wondered if all the women acted like Michiko, Emi, and Ayumi and if they were all capable of such anger.

Taiki couldn't blame her, Apemon didn't make it through the fighting…they never even found out how he was deleted. Taiki hated that Apemon was deleted in such a way, without cause or explanation. Taiki hated it. And with Scion gone it seemed like all of their friends were leaving, even Emi had said she would have to leave soon as well. No, he couldn't blame Michiko at all.

"You think I like it, Michiko?! Shingen is directly involved in the conflict!" Emi roared, though her anger was slightly more subdued and more internal. She was bottling her emotions up and eventually they would boil, if not checked.

Taiki was, as they say, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Not to mention Sasuke! He shouldn't be going about alone!" Michiko shot back.

_Really? As far as I can tell, he's FAR more capable than we are. Though, it may be because his partner is older, and originally born. Even so, I doubt we have to worry about him as much as the others._

When Taiki learned that the west was heading to war he became worried that Tommy may be involved, and if Riku and Ayumi had gone south, then they too could be caught up in the typhoon that was to develop. A nasty storm was brewing. He just hoped that everyone came out okay.

"Hey, Michiko, Emi. Hold on a second." Taiki meekly called for their attention.

Emi politely turned to Taiki, while Michiko had to take a deep breath to calm herself. Emi straightened out her skirt and checked her hair, almost mechanically, and then waited in silence. After Michiko deemed herself fairly calm she took a seat on the floor, pulling at her long socks idly.

"Sasuke, Emi, Shingen, and Michiko." Taiki began, "Add those with me, Tommy, Riku, and Ayumi. That makes eight of us here," Taiki stood up and began to pacing, "but how many more? Their could be a few handfuls of other kids here that we don't know about."

"Does it really matter?" Michiko spitefully retorted. "Hardly any of us are fighting on the same side, and SOME one is trying to save the entire world on his own." Michiko rolled up her long sleeves and crossed her arms fitfully. This was bugging her a lot more then Taiki had previously guessed.

It probably had to do with Sasuke's and Michiko's relationship. He had heard they were especially close at school, a brother-sister relationship, but he had never really looked into it. Sasuke was, in his book, okay and he never felt any urge to find the source of their companionship.

To Michiko, she felt helpless. Sasuke was going out to fight again, and just when things were settling down. That was so like him, to run off at the first sight of adventure. But…that was his way. The smile, the activity, it was all there to keep him busy, and Sasuke loved to be busy. More than that…he loved to be a hero.

It was a sad, horrible, truth.

**::FlashBack::**

Michiko's grandparents had died before she could remember, but every year she would go to their graves and see them, perhaps leave a flower or two. It was a nice thing to do, and she hoped that maybe they would be watching out when she came.

But one day, two years ago, when she visited she found flowers already placed on the graves, two single flowers. Michiko scratched her head and on further inspection found that almost every single grave had flowers, and always the same kind, a yellow rose.

Being the inquisitive sort Michiko began to explore and search out for the source of the flowers and she learned, when asking the grave keeper, that it was a young man who came at least once a year, starting a couple of years ago. The elderly man pointed towards the south and said that he might still be around if she was quick.

He was there, barely six years old and he had just finished putting the last of his flowers on the grave. It must have been a bunch of them and how he managed she didn't know.

"Hey, hey, did you put these flowers here?" Michiko asked.

The boy turned, wiped his eyes and nose with sleeve, "Yup, that's me." He seemed to have been crying just recently, she wondered if the graveyard made him sad.

"What for?"

"Because, my daddy says it's what a hero would do."

"A hero?"

"My daddy said I could be whatever I want." He looked over his shoulder, "I want to be a hero."

Michiko titled her head, "Why a hero? You want to fight crime?"

He shook his head, "I want to help people, that's all. I just want them to be happy." He wiped his eyes again and gave a small smile.

"Well, it was sure nice of you to put flowers here."

"Yeah! Everyone is so sad when someone dies, I just wanted to make sure the people that died weren't sad." Sasuke gave a thumbs up, a smile, and a sniffle.

"I understand, I was sad too. I never knew my grandparents; I wish I did though." Michiko looked in the direction of her grandparents grave.

The boy walked up and handed her a tissue. "Here, I always have some with me, incase I or someone else needs them. I'm Sasuke Mitsunari, what's your name?"

"Michiko." She took the tissue and wiped her own nose.

"How about we go play! I bet that will make us happy! When you're playing you forget the bad things." Sasuke put on his soon to be renowned smile that could fight back any darkness around him.

"You don't have to do that. I'll be okay."

"No!" Sasuke stomped. "A hero never abandons someone, my dad always told me that! And my mom said that even if things get really, really, REALLY bad, you should never give up! So let's go play!" He pulled her arm away from the graves, causing Michiko to drop her tissue.

"Okay, go wait for me, I'll be right there!" She called, waving to Sasuke as he walked towards the gate.

Michiko bent down and picked up her tissue and in doing so caught the sight of the gravestones. The engraving didn't look odd, but it wasn't fresh either, a couple of years perhaps.

_Here lies, Obito and Ami Mitsunari, loving parents. May they rest in peace._

Michiko stood up, looked over her shoulder at Sasuke and then back at the graves. "A hero that makes everyone happy…like his mommy and daddy said." She turned around and when she came to Sasuke she smiled, "So, what does the hero have planned for today?" Sasuke smiled and pulled her along to the playground, a single, final, tear slipping down his cheek.

And by that smile, you'd never guess he was an orphan.

**::EndFlashBack::**

Michiko sighed to herself. She knew Sasuke, he would disregard everything to make others happy. That was what a hero would do, and to be a hero would make Sasuke's parents proud. Michiko sighed again. She knew why he left, she couldn't stop him and, if it came down to it, she wouldn't even try to stop him. How could she? She couldn't.

Still, it made her sad to realize _that_ she couldn't.

"In any case," Emi stood, "I've got to go and wait for Shingen's return. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer but…my loyalties lie else where." Emi hugged Michiko and despite her best friends protests Emi said she couldn't possibly stay longer. Defeated, Michiko led her best friend out to walk her to the forests edge. When leaving, no one liked to talk about it much. No one liked to say goodbye afterall.

Left alone, Taiki immersed himself in silent thought.

_No matter how you look at it…if there are more of us, I doubt we will be on the same side. The more we fight, the more torn apart we seem to become…_

**Southern Terrtory - South of Ironfist - Day 13 - 9:00 PM**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

"Sorry I'm late, Leomon," Tommy apologized as he stepped into Leomon's tent. A meeting had been called between Leomon and several of the older, more experienced digimon warriors in Leomon's battalion. Tommy was proud to have been invited. He felt like one of the troops, and Commandramon was invited as well.

Tommy and Commandramon sat, completing a circle of beast digimon. Leomon had a stick and was drawing in the dirt, obviously to sketch out their plan of action . The other beasts, some four legged, others two legged, were looking on curiously.

"Now that everyone is here, I will explain our plan. It's a simple maneuver." He finished his drawing, "We will wait for Karatenmon's army to attack the Dragon's Champion before we strike. That is the easy part - the part we must work for is that to close off the escape routes for Karatenmon we must finish him here to save our lands of his savage attacks."

A number of the digimon nodded in agreement: it sounded like a fair plan that could be easily executed. Leomon looked to Tommy then, causing the soldiers son to come to attention as if being inspected by a drill sergeant.

"Tommy, you will have a special task that I can attribute to you."

"What task sir!?" Tommy was excited now, a special mission just for him? He liked the sound of that.

"I want you to infiltrate the enemy army and personally attempt to destroy Karatenmon."

Commandramon whistled, "Sounds like a kamikaze to me."

Leomon grinned, "You won't be alone, I have heard reports of humans in Karatenmon's army. I believe they will help you, or at least do their best not to hinder you. " Leomon's face grew serious again, "But, if you feel you can't accomplish the mission, return to base. We don't not want to lose you after just meeting again!"

Tommy ran the mission over in his mind. Sealsdramon would be perfect for this kind of thing. He was very much like a special-ops, and an assassination, though it sounded bad, would be right up his alley. He looked at his partner, who was looking back at him.

"What do you think, partner? Think we can pull it off?"

Commandramon grunted, "I'm not worried about completion, I'm just worried about shaming the rest of Leomon's men!"

A number of the beasts, including Leomon, laughed heartily. They seemed happy to hear such a confident boast, a sad reminder of the mess they were in. Leomon's men were tired and he had the least amount of man power at his command, compared to the other forces moving in the south lately. Some people had said that the Dragon's Champion had two thousand digimon! Tommy couldn't fathom what they would look like.

"Okay, mission accepted, Leomon!" Tommy saluted.

"Well said! The mission will take place the night before our attack. A day of fighting the East might make Karatenmon drop his guard, so use that to your advantage."

"Don't worry about us, Leomon," Commandramon assured. "Me and Tommy have been through a lot and we're stronger for it."

"I don't doubt your ability, but Karatenmon is an Ultimate, so beware his power nonetheless." Leomon advised. "But let us rest. Our fellow mon are tired and we can only wait until the battle has begun."

So the meeting was adjourned and Tommy, along with Commandramon, went to find Kaito to fill him in on the mission given to him. They walked into Kaito's tent to find him packing.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked directly.

"I might not get a chance to come here again, so I'm going to look for a piece of the prophecy while I can." Kaito put his things into his book bag and turned to Tommy. "I've left my men with orders to listen to you while I'm gone."

"You're just going to leave? What about the battle?!"

"We were brought here to stop the war, right? I don't see how my participating is going to accomplish that." Kaito shrugged. "No, I'd rather try and find out what we are supposed to exactly do."

"Sounds like you're skipping out again, Kaito," Commandramon taunted, still fairly bitter about his shameful defeat at Gaomon's hands.

Gaomon snickered as he walked in, "A soldier shouldn't have such an ego, Commandramon."

Before Commandramon could make a move on Gaomon he was stopped by Tommy's hand. Tommy shook his head and Commandramon grudgingly kept his silence and contented himself to glare daggers at Gaomon.

"Alright, Kaito, you go searching for that missing puzzle piece. But, do you know where you are looking?"

"I do, Tommy." Kaito pointed south, "I've got a hunch that it might just be in Ironfist. It's an old relic of the pre-war situation and I think I might find a clue."

Tommy nodded, "Going to be hairy getting there."

"Haha, no more hairy then getting anywhere else in this place." Kaito walked up to Tommy and patted him on the shoulder. "You be careful out there. Gaomon, lets go."

Tommy didn't turn to watch Kaito leave. Like his father always said, a soldier never looks back. If they were going to meet again it would be only after moving forward. And Tommy had his own worries, a mission to stop a crazy bird with a taste for power.

**Southern Terrtory - South of Ironfist - Day 13 - 9:00 PM**

**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**

Ayumi and Falcomon walked into Riku's tent as the sun began to set. The preparations were complete and the attack on Shingen, or the Dragon's Champion as everyone else knew him, would begin tomorrow. Ayumi had done her best to remain cool, but to be honest, things were getting more difficult.

The past few days had been very edgy. Karatenmon had easily been able to feel his loosening grip on his men and Riku's gradual rise in their eyes, for a winning commander who put victory ,and the lives of his men, above all else was liked much more than a powerful leader who cared more for personal glory. Not to mention that Ayumi had failed in her mission to get rid of Shingen, which caused more friction between Karatenmon and his human captives, though she had begun to doubt he could hold them anymore.

"Hey, Riku, I'm here." Ayumi waved to her 'companion', companion because she really couldn't call themselves friends yet. Riku was, as he had always been, cold and distant with the exception being towards Dracmon who he showed a deeper side that Ayumi had yet to see. Still, using his first name in conversation was a step forward.

Riku nodded to her and finalized a few orders to a Shadramon who took his leave as soon as his orders were given. He motioned for Ayumi to sit, which she and Falcomon did, and he waited until Dracmon floated over to begin.

"Everything's ready, I believe; we just need to get rid of you-know-who." Riku yawned. "We just need to wait until the right time and finish it."

"That's a cold way to put it." Ayumi commented.

"We don't owe him anything…he deserves less if you ask me."

"He's still a digimon."

Falcomon interrupted before the conversation got thorny, "Shouldn't we worry about the now and after?"

"Yeah, yeah! Chomp the big bird!" Dracmon chimed in.

Riku nodded. "We are still going ahead with the plan right?"

Ayumi looked away for a moment. "It's for the best right?"

"Who knows? Everything could go wrong and then we'll be in a lot of trouble. It's a risk; that's for sure." Riku sighed.

"I hope Shingen will be okay, he's caught in a pretty tough place and if things go wrong..." Falcomon flapped his wings nervously.

"We'll do our best to make sure he's okay. But we have to worry about us before we can help him."

The four stayed silent for several minutes. As soon as Karatenmon was removed, things would get very confusing, very quickly. To say the least, they had a lot to do in a short amount of time with Leomon at their back and Shingen to their front, they were going to be in a tight spot, and that was only if they succeeded in defeating Karatenmon!

"All we can do now is wait," Riku advised, "and hope that things go smoothly."

**Southern Terrtory - South of Ironfist - Day 13 - 9:00 PM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

"One day down." Shingen muttered, marking a tally on ground with a stick.

"Formidable, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Kotemon, not exactly welcoming."

Ironfist, the fortress before them, was a natural rock formation with rough and jagged edges at random places along its length, with canyon walls to each side, effectively stopping anyone who wanted to go around it. The fortress itself was short in height but most of the other nations didn't have as many flyers as the south, so an invasion by another territory would need to break through Ironfist to move forward. Essentially, it was a huge stone building stuffed between two very high canyon walls, and the only way through was…to pass into, and out of, Ironfist.

"So what's the plan? Are we going to lay siege?" Kotemon asked from the canyon floor, looking up at the imposing citadel.

"I'm going to destroy it, so that we don't have to bother with it. Tomorrow I'm going to start tearing it down."

"A lot of the enemy will be caught in the wreckage, you realize this?"

Shingen shifted uncomfortably, "…Yes." Shingen tugged on his cuirass and made a silent promise to himself not to back out until everything was done.

Kotemon walked over to his partner, "If everything goes well with Riku and Ayumi, we will have more allies backing us."

_Yeah, if we can trust them. Somehow, everything still feels like a game…like its not real, and like any game…you never know what plot twist may occur._

Shingen grabbed his war fan and tapped it on his shoulder, a nervous habit he had. Somehow, the feel of an object in his grip assured him that he still had some control, even if it was very little. Shingen put the fan away and began to walk away from Ironfist, as his army was beginning to settle down for the night.

Kotemon followed silently, having only thoughts of concern, concerns that he knew he didn't need to express. It was a harsh fate to put on Shingen but it was one he took himself and he would keep going until he won…or lost.

"Tomorrow we attack, I'm going to tear that castle down where it stands." Shingen proclaimed.

Kotemon could only hope it was as easy as he made it sound.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Notes:** Okay, so I'm back. Woot for me! And hopefully you all are happy. I return with a new chapter, and with a few tid bits of information for you all, some are obvious, others aren't. I tried to make this chapter as interesting as possible, but it is merely the building blocks for the next two chapters to come.

By now I assume everyone is probably used to my style of writing, which is a minimum of fluff, XD. It's just my thinking, to me this is a story, a story of actions, thoughts, and words. I don't like to get boggled down with a whole lot of superfluous descriptions because, most of the time, they bore the reader. I find that brief, small, descriptions that are simple to follow are best used in this type of publishing, anyway. So, I hope that most of my readers don't mind, I just try to focus on the core of what I'm writing. I appreciate all of the support despite my style!

There isn't too much to say on this chapter though, but I would suggest to read closely (Which is stupid since you are probably reading this last) since this chapter has a lot of foreshadowing, and hints towards things. If you can figure a vague idea, kudos!

A big thanks to Sorana for editing my work, I'd be stuck in a mess without her.(I still have to fix those present tense issues, I'm going to get to that soon. Thanks for the tip, btw.)

I hope everyone enjoys! I look forward to your reviews.

-Arc.


	21. The Storm: The Great Plan!

Chapter 19: The Storm

Part I: The Great Plan!

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 4:00 AM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

"I didn't think the Dragon's Champion could make it to Ironfist."

"Idiot, its because our lord's armies are fighting on two fronts. It's our fault for relying on those rogue mon to find Kassel."

"I guess. Still, do you think we can stop him here? I heard he's a digimon of great power."

"I heard that he's not a digimon at all."

Kaito cringed as an uproar broke out among the digimon in the mess hall. They were anxious about the massive army camping outside their gates and wary of the fabled champion leading them. They knew the attack would come in the morning so they were feasting now for the day ahead. But Kaito's biggest concern was getting caught before he had enough time to explore.

Gaomon and Kaito had painstakingly avoided every guard in the East's army, and even more to get into Ironfist. The might not have been able to make it if they hadn't stumbled across a hidden passageway in the mountain walls that lead into the fortress.

_We need to hurry! When this Dragon's Champion attacks things are going to get very, very, confusing. _

"Kaito." Gaomon tapped his partner on the leg, causing Kaito to jump slightly.

Kaito took a deep breath, "What is it?"

"If we can get into the castle through that path, then so can the East. If they find it…we won't have a lot of time."

"I don't think that's a problem." Kaito looked back at the crevice, "More likely the digimon here know about those passageways and will be using them to attack when the East least expects it."

Gaomon nodded as he peered around the large boxes that he and Kaito were hiding behind. The two were in a small square section that joined with a much larger rectangle area, which housed the mess hall. Luckily for them the digimon in the mess hall were not too concerned with keeping guard at this point.

"Well, lets get moving. We need to get past these guys before the attack begins."

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 6:00 AM**

**POV: BomberNanimon**

At the top of Ironfist, a commander of the South's defense forces stood looking down at the enemy encampment. He was a champion level digimon called BomberNanimon, a different form of the original Nanimon. His skin was black, and his shades, gloves, boots, and eyebrows were all red.

"Everything is ready, sir."

"Wooooo, yeah! Let them come!"

The messenger, an Impmon, chuckled, "We'll destroy them all, won't we?"

"Wooo, yeah! Every last one of them!" BomberNanimon leapt up into the air and landed on edge of the balcony that he was using to overlook his enemies. "COME ON YOU WEAKLINGS! COME AND GET ME!"

Impmon began to laugh hysterically, "That's the way boss! Show them who's the leader here!"

"Woo, yeah! That's exactly right. Those cowards are….eh?" BomberNanimon peered down at the ground as several lights blinked into existence. The lights began to grow bigger and started to look like small fireballs.

"Boss?" Impmon's faced showed confused as his boss leapt back unto the balcony and darted into the fortress. Impmon went over and looked down, the small lights were now very large fireballs coming directly towards the balcony. "WAAAH!" Impmon dove back into the fortress seconds later.

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 6:10 AM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

"Think they got the message, Kotemon?" Shingen asked, slightly amused.

Kotemon even allowed himself a chuckle as the five fireballs from a several of Greymon collided with the balcony, destroying it. "Oh, I think they got it."

Shingen laughed softly and turned to his digimon army, who had just finished eating and were now formed up. "Well, you heard that loud mouth. He wants us to come, does he?" Shingen raised his fan. "Let's go say hi!"

Loud laughter ran through the ranks as they began to march towards the fortress; Shingen took the front with Kotemon at his side. The battle was about to begin. Shingen raised his fan and pointed towards Ironfist.

"TEAR IT DOWN!!!"

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 6:20 AM**

**POV: BomberNanimon**

"Sir the enemy is coming!" Impmon hoarsely notified his commander, looking a little more then crispy.

BomberNanimon didn't say anything as he marched down to the first level of his fortress. He punched his fists together as he entered the common room where all of the men were scurrying about getting ready to launch counter attacks.

"Listen up you ninnies!" BomberNanimon roared. "Don't let any of them in! If I find one of you letting one pass I'll delete you myself!" His threat sent his men into a more organized frenzy as they began to rain down ranged attacks on the approaching army.

"Sir, what about the passages?" Impmon asked sheepishly.

"When they get cocky we'll lead two teams into their ranks. You and I will lead them." BomberNanimon smiled, "Wooo, yeah! I'll teach this Dragon's Champion to mess with me!"

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**Digital World -South of Ironfist - Day 14 - 6:40 AM**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto & Ayumi Fujiwara**

"Ack, cripes!" Riku stumbled out of his tent as the alarm rang throughout the camp. Riku darted towards the main tent, knowing full well what the emergency was. Dracmon was hanging onto Riku's leather jacket and howled excitedly as he blew in the wind like a flag.

"Riku!" Ayumi can up alongside the bully and his partner as Falcomon flew alongside her.

"I didn't think they would start this early." Riku looked up at the sky. "The sun isn't even up yet!"

Falcomon flew higher up into the air and after a quick look came darting back down to the ground, "There are some impressive fireworks going on up ahead!"

"It's probably the Greymon; Shingen has a whole bunch of them." Ayumi winced, remembering the effect the Greymon had on Kassel when Shingen had invaded it. A big flaming wrecking ball was good for beating up big buildings.

"Either he's hasty or someone provoked him," Riku grumbled.

"I don't think so. Shingen is way too smart for that." Ayumi huffed as she ran along.

Riku grunted, "Don't tell me you're falling for him too."

"What does that mean?!" Ayumi barked.

"Nothing, forget it!" Riku snapped back as he brought himself to a stop at Karatenmon's tent.

"You're late, humans," Karatenmon roared.

Riku didn't answer as he sat down, Ayumi at his side. They were the only ones there, since Karatenmon didn't share power with other digimon that could offer advice, at least, not until Riku came into the picture.

During the past few days Karatenmon had undergone a series of changes. No longer was he the cool leader that he tried to act like when Riku was first caught - no, he now feared Riku, and as such he had reverted to a more primal state. His fear of losing position caused him to be increasingly curt with Riku and Ayumi.

"The battle as begun and we will, per orders, attack the rear of the Dragon Champion's army, at midday."

"Perhaps we should attack now?" Riku sarcastically advised.

Karatenmon shot a look that made Riku keep his silence. "Eventually the Ironfist forces will sally out through the two hidden passages. It is at this point that we will help the-"

"Commander Karatenmon!" A Candlemon burst into the tent. "The West! They followed us and are attacking!"

Karatenmon slammed his hand down on the table in front of him. "They are trying to stop us from helping. They want the Dragon's Champion to win!"

"Then let's deal with them. It will take more then one day for Ironfist to fall, even if they are just trying to destroy the whole thing," Riku proposed, though he doubted the West seriously wanted to help the East. Pure luck was what he attributed it to.

"You think I'm not aware of that, human!?" Karatenmon's temper was flaring, something that was also new to Riku. "Order our men to turn around, we are going to fight, and you," Karatenmon pointed to Riku and Ayumi, "you two are going to lead our defense."

Riku shook his head. "If you say so. Come on, Ayumi."

Dracmon popped up. "Chomp time! Let's go!"

"This isn't a game, Dracomon!" Falcomon scolded.

"Forget it, we don't have a choice." Riku mumbled as the group left the tent. He looked at Ayumi. "What's wrong?"

Ayumi snapped out of her daydreaming. "Oh, nothing. Just worried."

Riku stopped walking and watched as Ayumi continued forward, completely oblivious that Riku had halted. Riku stuffed his hands into his jacket and let out a big breath of air.

"It's ironic, Dracmon." He looked to his partner, who returned his gaze. "In our world she would be the first to jump into something like this, the first to get into the middle of things. But here, its strange that she may be the most concerned of us all…"

"That's why we are going to protect her, right? She's our friend and we'll chomp all the bad guys!" Dracmon cheered.

Riku smiled and nodded. "Let's go. It's chomp time!"

Dracmon zoomed ahead to catch up to Ayumi and Falcomon as Riku strolled at a more leisurely pace.

_It's funny, that our world's biggest tomboy, the girl that wanted to be a boy so bad…would be the one with the biggest heart. I guess, when it comes down to it, having a big heart like Taiki isn't really a bad thing after all._

"Riku! COME ON!" Dracmon bellowed. Riku sighed and began to jog towards his partner.

_That's okay though, I'll take care of the nasty parts. If we have to go to the depths of our hearts, where no light shines, I'll go there for her. I'll make all the sacrifices, take all the burdens, so that she won't have to worry…Heh I'll even do it for those idiots, Draggers and Yamada._

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**Digital World -South of Ironfist - Day 14 - 7:20 AM**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

Tommy stood beside Leomon as he began their attack on the Karatenmon. He stayed with Leomon as the wary, but veteran, Western forces engaged the flame, dark, and bird digimon of the south. With Sealsdramon, the champion form of Commandramon, at his side he felt confident he could accomplish his goal.

"Alright, Sealsdramon, we just need to get to the other side of those tough looking dudes over there." Tommy said sarcastically.

Sealsdramon flipped his knife in his hand as a few enemy digimon charged forward, two Thunderbirmon. "I'll get us there, and we can put an end to Karatenmon!" He gripped his knife, holding it upside down and returned the charge.

"Spark Wing!" The two Thunderbirmon cried as they began to unleash a barrage of electric feathers. Sealsdramon dodged the falling projectiles while waiting for a opportune time to strike. They flew roughly fifteen feet from the ground, staying out of Sealsdramon's attack range.

"Haha, you can't reach us up here fool!" One of them called, the one farthest to the right. The armor digimon let out a loud laugh.

"Watch out!" The companion Thunderbirmon called.

"Huh?" Thunderbirmon felt the wind before seeing it. Suddenly Sealsdramon was in the air, weapon raised. He was rising, up and over in a flipping motion.

"I'm a machine; my legs are strong. You'd have to get out of my jumping range before talking about being safe. Death Behind!" Sealsdramon stabbed his blade into the unarmored part of his prey, a section that trailed from the back of the neck down the spine.

All Tommy saw was Sealsdramon jumping and the deletion of the Thunderbirmon. He cheered loudly, suddenly covered his mouth, and dove behind a few large rocks to avoid the notice of more approaching digimon. Once in safety he poked his head out to see that a Garurumon had come to deal with the Thunderbirmon, using his long range attack, while Sealsdramon had turned to a Meramon who had dived into the fray.

_Well, so far so good….haha, only the whole day to go…_

_-------_

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 1:00 PM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

Kaito tumbled down a few stairs, felt his shirt being grabbed and held by Gaomon, and sighed. Kaito righted himself and went further down the stairs. He felt he was onto something. This was definitely an abandoned section of the castle, and the walls were beginning to look like the same material the other prophecy fragments were written on. With any luck he would have it!

They came to the end of the stairs and instantly several torches lit up to reveal a large, circular chamber with a massive stone tablet in the center and a doorway directly behind it that. In a flurry of foot steps Kaito ran towards the tablet, expecting more of the prophecy to be fulfilled.

"This is…" Kaito's smile dropped and his expression turned to confusion.

"What is it Kaito?" Gaomon stepped over and looked at the tablet, "Oh, that's interesting…"

On the tablet was a picture large pillar of light that rose from the ground through a gate and towards another land mass, it was as if the sky was not present, only two continents were facing each other. Under the gate, to Kaito's surprise, was a Shield and a Sword resting on top of each other, as if they were leaning on the other.

"I don't understand…" Gaomon muttered. "How can we tell what this is if we don't know what the Sword or Shield means in the prophecy?!"

Kaito stepped back, "I don't know. 'The Sword shall strike the Shield, and the Shield will repel the Sword.' If we only knew what the rest of the sentence said we could tell what it meant." Kaito began to pace.

"And what is this gate?" Gaomon pondered as he looked at the picture further.

"'The Heroes shall decide the fate of the world, between Light and Dark.'" Kaito slammed his hand against a wall, "What does that mean?!"

Gaomon and Kaito pondered in silence for a time until both realized that there may still be some clues left to discover. They walked around the tablet and looked at the door of rock in their way. They pushed it aside and it fell away.

"We need more answers…Let's go get them," Kaito mumbled as he began to venture into the darkness once more.

_-------_

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 4:00 PM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

"The enemy forces south of us have apparently engaged in combat with a surprise force from the West!" Kotemon informed Shingen as the Dragon's Champion was taking a well deserved break.

Shingen wiped his brow and took off his cuirass to let some air inside. He laid back on the ground and stared at the ceiling, even as the sounds of battle engulfed the two. Kotemon came in and sat next to his partner and waited.

"Karatenmon isn't gone yet , but once he is we will accept Riku and Ayumi into our army." Shingen wiped his brow again. "If the West decides to attack us we will have no choice but to retaliate."

Kotemon nodded. "Well, the battle is going well. Our captains report that they are breaking down the gates and will be able to launch the final offensive by tomorrow. Your strategy to destroy the fortress rather than capture it is saving us massive amounts of time and resources."

"What about the enemy?"

"They are pulling to the upper levels and launching attacks down from above. We are doing our best to minimize casualties."

Shingen sat up and nodded, "Aright, give it another hour and then stop the siege; I want everyone well rested for tomorrow."

"Expecting something?"

"Yeah…" Shingen stood. "I'm expecting a plan long in the making to play out. Tomorrow will be the day. I'm sure of it."

_-------_

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 9:00 PM**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto & Ayumi Fujiwara**

Riku could almost feel his legs still shaking. The fighting had been pretty fierce today and the playing field was, surprisingly, well suited to the Beasts of the West. In the narrow canyon the bird digimon could fly high, but could not spread out far which made them excellent targets for metal digimon that Leomon had unexpectedly brought to the battle (The battalion that Kaito had when he found Tommy). The Gargomon, which were the majority of the new unit, had a rapid firing capability that forced the birds to fly high to stay out harm's way, which left the ground forces stranded against the superior close combat beast digimon.

Still, a few well-timed feints and strategic retreats, along with larger troop numbers allowed the battle to fall into a stalemate. The West had pulled back and it would take them at least the night to regroup.

Riku wobbled to Karatenmon's tent to brief him on their losses and advise a course of action. He came in, found the leader looking over a map of the area, and sat on the other side of the map, waiting. He yawned as Dracmon pounced into his lap, not nearly as tired as Riku himself was. That was a digimon for you, though.

"Tomorrow we will attack the East, without fail," Karatenmon said without looking up.

"If we turn our backs we will put ourselves in danger," Riku shot back.

Karatenmon snapped his head up. "Then you will stay behind with your men and hold them!"

"That's ridiculous! You'll be losing valuable men who could help the effort if we think ahead!"

"I'm the commander here! Do you hear me?!"

Riku opened his mouth to speak when something caught his eye, a glint, or glimmer. Something was there. Karatenmon caught the look and opened his beak to speak when his eyes became large and his body stiff.

"Heh, heh, for a commander you sure did let your guard down."

Riku mashed his teeth together. _Sealsdramon_. Riku stood and, unsurprisingly, found Tommy standing off to the side. Sealsdramon had stabbed Karatenmon in the back. It was an assassination!

"…Fool," Karatenmon grumbled. "Do you think that one attack like that will get rid of me? I'm an Ultimate!" Karatemon's wings lashed out and tossed a surprised Sealsdramon onto his back. Karatenmon turned around. "Finish it, Riku."

Riku sighed, took a deep breath, and answered, "Heh, gladly. Finish it, Sangloupmon."

_-------_

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 9:20 PM**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

"Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon howled just as Sealsdramon got himself to his feet.

_No, he was supposed to have been deleted instantly! I thought we'd be strong enough to finish it with one blow if he was unaware!! _Tommy got behind Sealsdramon as Sangloupmon attacked. Tommy's eyes grew wide.

Karatenmon smiled. "This is what happens to fools like--" Again the Ultimate's body went stiff as Sangloupmon's Sticker Blade attack peppered Karatenmon's back with numerous knives. Karatenmon turned his head. "You….you…"

"You did this to yourself," Riku said, though Tommy swore he heard his voice crack. "You have no one to blame."

"I'll…I'll, des…destroy-"

"You won't be destroying anything, to the digital graveyard with you!!" Sealsdramon cried, charging forward and giving a final, powerful, blow. Karatenmon could only gasp out a cry as his data fell apart and was deleted.

With the defeat of Karatenmon, Tommy's mission was over and now he and Sealsdramon were only faced with the dilemma of what to do now. A stunned silence fell over the four.

"Riku…" Sangloupmon called to his partner.

Riku sighed and collapsed into a sitting position. "Let them go, I think we've seen enough today."

Tommy collapsed as well. "I don't get it, why did you attack your ally?"

"He wasn't my ally. I was going to get rid of him anyway…it was part of a plan."

Sealsdramon snorted, "A traitor to the core I see."

"Watch it, Sealsdramon!" Sangloupmon barked.

"That's enough!" Riku shouted. "I don't care to explain…just…just go back to where you came from. There'll be another battle to settle this. Go now, before they find you." Riku stood on shaky legs and walked out of the tent, Sangloupmon cautiously following, though he never turned his back to the other two.

"It doesn't make sense…who's plan was it to kill him?" Tommy thought aloud.

"It doesn't matter Tommy… we should go now, since we've been given an opportunity." With that Sealsdramon swooped up Tommy and carried the boy, who still sat in a kind of daze, out of the enemy encampment and into safe hands. On the way back Tommy could only think of one thing.

_What are you up to, Riku?_

_--------_

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 14 - 9:50 PM**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto**

"Wait, Sangloupmon," Riku called, just outside the tent.

"What is it?"

Riku took a big breath and patted his partner on the head. "You need to inform you-know-who. This should get everything set so there aren't any mess-ups. We don't want to start a fight with our new allies."

"I shouldn't leave you alone."

"I'll be with Ayumi, don't worry." Riku sighed and shook his head. "Run fast and get back quickly. Things are going to happen fast and we'll have two enemies to fight once things are going. I'll need you around."

Sangloupmon nodded and started to trot away. He stopped , and without looking over his shoulder, said, "Riku, I know you didn't like what we did or what we may have to do. But it is the right choice.." With that he darted into the night.

_I hope so, Sangloupmon. I really hope so._

_--------_

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 5:00 AM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

Shingen had woken early that day, ready to prepare for a grueling day of fighting ahead, when an Agumon came bursting into his tent. "Sir! The Southern force at our rear is approaching! They don't appear to be attempting and attack and they have a flag with this symbol on it!"

The Takeda smiled. It was a large 'R' and would mean nothing to digimon, seeing as they didn't know the human alphabet, but to Shingen it meant that Riku was in control now. It was time to accept his new allies. "Let them come and tell them to wait just inside the camp. I've got a few things to finish up, but come get me after they are settled."

As the Agumon left, Kotemon, who had been making his rounds, walked in. "I guess you plan worked."

Shingen nodded. "I guess so. This will help us. We now have a nice flying force to add to our strength."

The Agumon returned after several minutes, during which time Kotemon and Shingen discussed the new possibilities for their new army. He walked in looking confused. "The enemy is inside and doesn't seem to be causing any trouble. Sir, what's going on?"

"Allies; a plan is coming to bear fruit. That's all. I guess I'll go meet them." Shingen stood and pushed the flap of his tent open. What he saw made his stomach lurch.

Riku's army was attacking.

Shingen looked dumbstruck, completely stunned at the sight before him. Riku had betrayed him, and Ayumi…had she helped as well?

"Shingen, look." Kotemon pointed to a large rock with a boy in a leather jacket, leather pants, and with slicked back hair that was jet black on it. He was sitting on a purple wolf with blades for claws and fangs. He sat staring down at Shingen, as if to say, "I'm not your pawn, you are mine."

Shingen hands turned into fists and in a flash Shingen had his sword, a family heirloom, unsheathed and in his hand. "Kotemon! We're going hunting, for a wild wolf and a traitor!"

Kotemon answered by digivolving into his champion form, Dinohumon. He gripped his twin blades tighter and almost started to sprint when another Agumon tore towards them from the direction of the fortress.

"Commander, the enemy is attacking! Two units have emerged from secret paths and are attacking us!"

"WHAT?!" Shingen boomed. He slung his body around to look towards the fortress and sure enough, the sounds of battle echoed. _He planned this! Riku had this planned from the start! WHY?!_

Shingen yelled as he spun around again, looking towards Riku, a roar of sadness, "Don't you get it?" I wanted to do this with as little fighting as possible! DON'T YOU GET IT?!"

"Sir, we need orders!" The Agumon pleaded.

"Focus, Shingen!" Dinohumon barked.

Shingen let out an angry breath. "Turn the army around! We're retreating. Tell the rear guard to hold as long as possible while the main force punches through Riku's army. GO!" Shingen's angry voice sent the Agumon into hyper drive to deliver the orders.

"This isn't over…I won't let it end like this!" Shingen yelled again, as he watched Sangloupmon, with Riku on his back, dive into the chaos and vanish from his sight.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**A/N:** Dun dun dun! This chapter came quick because I did it when I was having trouble uploading the last chapter. This is a pretty packed chapter which is going to lead to a pretty explosive chapter coming up next! I rather like Riku and Shingen's parts, they are, at this point, probably the most complex characters.

I don't have too much to say, only that I hope this chapter is as interesting as it was for me to write. Thanks to Sorano for helping, and teaching, haha.

Enjoy!

-Arc


	22. The Storm: The Great Unraveling!

Chapter 20: The Storm

Part II: The Great Unraveling!

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 3:00 AM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

Kaito rolled over, for the hundredth time it seemed. Finally, in a fit, he rose up and grabbed the torch. "Come on Gaomon, we're going to look again!"

Said partner grumbled awake and sat up. "Is it morning already?"

Kaito shrugged. He couldn't tell what time it was down here. They had gotten lost so many times that he had lost track of time. Yes, lost. Seven attempts and all of them leading back to the picture chamber. The thing was, they didn't have a map to know where to turn. So, after the said seven tries to get another clue, Gaomon and Kaito decided to sleep for a while and try again once they had rested.

Only, Kaito hadn't rested.

"This isn't like you Kaito; you are usually more laid back than this," Gaomon pointed out.

"I haven't even been in a maze before today. So if you ever want to tick me off, put me in a maze," Kaito retorted sourly.

"Alright, alright. Let's try again." Gaomon wobbled over to the doorway as Kaito grabbed one of the torches hanging from the wall.

"What do humans say? 'Third time's the charm'?"

"It's our eighth…"

"Oh…"

---------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 5:10 AM**

**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**

"_This is the only way, Ayumi."_

"_You are asking me to stab Shingen in the back! Riku, I can't do that!"_

"_I don't like it either!"_

"_Then why?!"_

"_Why, exactly! Why is this war going on? Why, Ayumi?"_

"…_I..I don't know. Something about digicores."_

"_Exactly, the cores that the Gods have. So to end the war?"_

"_We have to beat the…"_

"_We have to beat the gods. Yes. But we can't do that the way Shingen's trying too! You can't do it with armies!"_

"_What does that have to do with Shingen?!"_

"_I, we, need to get closer to the Gods so we can stop this war."_

"_So you're going to delete Karatenmon, beat Shingen, just to get closer to Zhuqiaomon?"_

"_Yes."_

"AYUMI! WATCH OUT!"

"Huh?!" Ayumi's head snapped forward and she ducked almost instantly in response to a thrown fireball, from an Agumon.

Peckmon was instantly there, swooping Ayumi onto "Why are you day dreaming?!"

"I'm sorry! I just…just can't focus…not now," Ayumi whispered.

Peckmon put Ayumi down and lowered his neck to look at her. "You know why we did this, right? You remember?"

Ayumi nodded. She had asked Riku why and he answered.

"_It's necessary because none of us have the power to confront a god. The only way to stop them is to do it from the inside."_

"You remember? We had trouble fighting Ninjamon, remember? If we have trouble fighting these guys in this battle how can we battle Gods? Riku's right, we have to play smart!" Peckmon continued.

"I KNOW THAT!" Ayumi yelled. "I know that! I know it so well that it hurts!" Ayumi closed her mouth, as if every word burn.

Saddened that Ayumi was feeling this way, Peckmon put a wing over her and waited until she had gathered her wits. Peckmon just hoped she would do it quickly. They were, after all, stuck in a nasty bit of fighting.

---------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 4:30 AM**

**POV: None**

"I'm telling you, Leomon, we need to go back and stop Riku!"

Leomon sat Indian style with his arms crossed, a hardened expression on his face as Tommy finished his story of how Riku helped delete Karatenmon and how he believed that Riku was up to something foul and had to be stopped.

"Tommy, I understand your plea, but we can't assume that Riku is going to harm us."

Tommy exploded, "I've been battling Riku ever since we met! I know him, this is only a small part of his plan. He never just makes one move and leaves it at that! And what about the Eastern forces?! Shouldn't we help them? 'An enemy of my enemy is my ally' right?!

"I have to agree with him, Leomon," Commandramon interjected. "The fact above all is that if we let the Eastern army be surrounded and destroyed we could be facing an immediate invasion of the West again."

"Hmmm." Leomon bowed his head and ran the facts through his head: Riku's betrayal of Karatenmon, the surrounded Eastern army, and the weakened state of the West due to prolonged fighting. He knew that Baihumon had pulled back the main armies of the West until he deemed it the correct time for a counter attack.

"An opportunity is before us." Leomon stood. "And with his opportunity we can finally make a stinging blow to the South."

"Yes!" Tommy jumped into the air, his fist punching the sky.

"Tommy, I want you and Commandramon to head straight for the Eastern commander and ask for a temporary alliance." Leomon handed him a pendant, with the face of a beast on it, a sign for a Western messenger.

Tommy saluted, "Yes, sir! Let's go Commandramon!"

"Right behind you!" Commandramon saluted to Leomon before darting after his partner.

Leomon laughed, "These chosen children…will they be our saviors or our doom? Haha, I wonder."

------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 5:30 AM**

**POV: BomberNanimon**

"Whoo, yeah! Get'em boys!" BomberNanimon hollered like a rodeo king.

The Eastern army watched in alarm as dozens of digimon flooded out of two secret passages that lead from the castle, through the canyon walls, and into the canyon itself. To make matters worse for the East, the rest of BomberNanimon's men were charging out of the fortress's main gate.

And with Riku attacking from the East's backside, BomberNanimon effectively had the Dragon's Champion surrounded. The virus type champion rose into the air, upper cutting an unsuspecting digimon who was deleted. "Whoo, yeah! Who wants some of my Baku Oyaji Punch(Explosive Old Man Punch)!"

"Sir!" Impmon, BomberNanimon's assistant, came running into view.

"What is it?"

"Sir, one of the men found some signs that someone has been lurking around in the basements."

"Basements? What could anyone want down there?" BomberNanimon jumped high into the air and body slammed a Gotsumon before delivering the final punch. "Meh, you go check on it, Impmon. Take a few mon and go."

"Yes, sir!" Impmon saluted and ran off, grabbing a few digimon as he went.

------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 5:30 AM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

"Four." Dinohumon muttered as another enemy, a Meramon, fell to his blade. He stood up and watched a Birdramon, Shadramon, more Meramon, and various other enemies set the camp afire, burning everything and causing general chaos. Shingen couldn't give orders to this mess, and the battle had turned into little more then a brawl.

"Let's go Dinohumon, I don't want to waste too much time." Shingen muttered, "I want to get to Riku now!"

"Not before you deal with us!" Two Shadramon appeared, one on either side of Dinohumon. The lizard champion raised his two smaller blades to defend while Shingen stood with his own sword, should things turn to the worst.

The Shadramon, directly in front of Dinohumon, lifted itself off the ground by inches and began a collision course with Dinohumon. "Flare Buster!" It's body became engulfed by the flames as it neared its target.

Dinohumon drove his feet into the ground, dropped his knives, and took Shadramon's attack head on. The two met and Shadramon instantly began to push back Dinohumon until the momentum was lost and the two ended at a stalemate.

"Just because you're a human's partner doesn't make you any stronger! You're still just one digimon." The Shadramon spat angrily.

"Don't get so cocky this early in the fight!" Dinohumon roared back.

"Yes, well, you may win but your partner won't!"

"Shingen!" Dinohumon turned his head to check on Shingen and in that moment of lost focus the Shadraomon slammed Dinohumon into the ground.

"Flare Buster!" The armor digimon raised one of his claws, now engulfed in flame, and shot it down at Dinohumon's face. All the lizard champion could do was tilt his head to narrowly miss the attack, suffering only the damage from the flames.

Though Shingen knew that Dinohumon was in trouble he couldn't afford to leave himself open to the other Shadramon, for fear of being attacked from behind. The only way he had any slim chance of helping was to somehow remove the other Shadramon.

"I think the human needs to learn a lesson. That only the smart ones survive," The digimon taunted.

"Like your leader Riku! He's a traitor."

The Shadramon staggered for a moment, and Shingen smiled. Perhaps Riku wasn't as accepted as he thought.

He was wrong.

"How dare you!" The Shadramon's body became engulfed in the now familiar flames of a Flare Buster. "He saved us from an incompetent leader who wasted our lives! YOU don't have any right to say anything about him!"

Shingen dove to the side as the raging digimon tried to attack him with a full body tackle. Shingen rolled to his feet and took a defensive stance, gripping his sword, knowing full well he couldn't fight a digimon. But going out without a struggle was simply not an option.

_I'll have to gamble, I need to avoid the next rush and strike back as he passes by. I don't know how much damage a human sword can do, but I have to try!_

"Hahah! I see that weapon you fool. I'm a trained warrior and I can see a fighter's stance." The boasting digimon launched himself into the air. "Ident Screw!"

Shingen's eyes opened wide as he began a dive down towards him at a sharp angle. Nearly halfway there the Shadramon began to spin furiously. Shingen had to avoid it now; the impact of the Shadramon striking he ground could throw him off his feet, or the wind could, and that would leave him defenseless while he scrambled to his feet. But as soon as Shingen moved the Shadramon shifted its direction, correcting itself instantly.

_Oh no, he can still tell where he's going, even at those speeds! I can't avoid being at least knocked to the ground. If he can attack before I'm ready I'm done…finished._

Shingen dove to the side at the last possible second and was, just as he thought, thrown to the ground as it shook and by the wind created by the Shadramon's spinning. The wind blew Shingen forward, causing him to flip, and land on his back.

"Ah!" Shingen groaned as he rushed to his feet as quickly as he could. He struggled up and grabbed his sword, looking into a small dust cloud that had been creating. He waited for what seemed to be eternity and still nothing came out of the smoke.

"You're one lucky human. If I had been moments later, you'd be a goner."

_That's not Dinohumon._ "Who are you?" Shingen asked.

The smoke cleared and in the place of Shadramon, who had been deleted, stood a metal clad being with a single red eye. He held a large combat knife in his hand and answered formally, "Seasldramon, champion level and partner to Tommy Draggers."

Shingen sat a minute and the facts ran through quickly…it dawned on him.

_Ayumi and Riku…. Of course! There would be more of us! And I was too stupid to ask Ayumi if there were more then just Riku and her! But how many?_

"Sealdramon, where are you?!" Tommy bounded over a rock as Shingen turned to meet the gaze of his school's only American-blooded student. Shingen, not totally surprised, sat in silence and waited for the outburst to come. He wasn't disappointed.

"Eh? Takeda?! What are you doing here!?"

Shingen answered as Tommy ran over. "I'm the commander of his army, and ah!" Shingen jumped back as Tommy tripped and fell to the ground.

"Mwha?" Tommy muffled into the ground before lifting his head and repeating, "What?! You're the Dragon's Champion!?"

"Yes." Shingen reached down and helped Tommy to his feet. "But, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?! You're the freaking leader of an army, why don't you explain that first!" Tommy demanded.

"Uh, Tommy, perhaps another time…" Sealsdramon motioned to an oncoming group of digimon, who didn't look friendly in the least.

"I agree."

"Oh, Dinohumon!" Shingen ran over to his partner. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. A momentary delay." Dinohumon nodded and turned to Tommy, "I heard most of the conversation, and as you probably can tell, I am Shingen's partner digimon, Dinohumon, champion."

"Cool." Tommy muttered. "Oh! Right, Shingen I was sent here to ask you, the Dragon's Champion, if he would work with the Western forces against the South."

Shingen looked surprised. "Really? We're trying to retreat but are being pressed on all sides. We'd be glad to have any help."

"Alright, Leomon and his men are trying to punch through Riku's army, so hopefully we can get your guys out of here!"

Tommy jumped as a small rock dropped onto his head from above. He grunted and looked up to find the source of the rock, his eyes turning narrow and focused.

------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 6: 40 AM**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

"Riku…"

"Didn't think we'd meet so soon, Tommy," Riku said from Sangloupmon's back. The two were on a large rock and looking down on the group. "I can't let you team up I'm afraid. It's be like throwing a wrench in my plans."

_What is it with him? Sure, he's a bully, but he's never acted so…evil. No, Riku's a jerk but he's not evil. I have to remember that he's a trickster, just like his partner; this is all part of his plan, too. _

"What are you up to Riku?!" Tommy shouted.

"A traitor doesn't get the chance to speak!" Dinhumon shouted, leaping towards Sangloupmon.

"Kunai Feathers!"

Dinohumon crossed his arms over his chest as several bladed feathers interrupted the attack on Riku. Dinohumon landed on the ground and leapt back to safety before looking towards the source of the attack, though he had seen that attack before.

"Oh, Ayumi. I didn't think you'd show up." Riku said, a tinge of surprise in his voice as Ayumi, along with Peckmon, walked up to his side.

"Shut up. I helped you didn't I?" She shot back venomously before whispering, "I may not like it but I'm going to see it through!"

"No, no! Ayumi, you too?" Tommy cried. "How could you help him!?"

Ayumi looked away, a small moment of hesitation, before looking back. "Yeah, I am."

The four chosen children, along with their partners, stood facing each other, Tommy and Shingen against Riku and Ayumi. To each of them the worse had occurred, a battle between them, and not a battle between friends that could be settled. A battle between enemies.

"Whoo, yeah! Look at all the humans in one place!"

"Ugh." Riku groaned as BomberNanimon dropped in between Ayumi and himself. The champion came over and looked Riku up and down.

"So you're the hot shot human who put Karatenmon in his place? I like that kind of forward-thinking, boy! Like our plan stated, my men have sallied forth to help you and I'm here personally to give you a hand." BomberNanimon laughed, a silly laugh that, if things were not so serious, might make all the kids laugh.

_Darn, three versus two. I wonder if we could find Leomon and get him to deal with that odd ball. There's no telling where he is though.._

"Whoo, yeah! Let's party!" BomberNanimon, to everyone's surprise, jumped into the air towards Tommy and Shingen. "Baku Oyaji Punch(Explosive Old Man Punch)!"

"Get back Shingen!" Dinohumon demanded as he braced for the attack.

"You too Tommy!" Sealsdramon took up position as well.

Ayumi stepped forward, to say something, when a shadow passed overhead. Her first reaction was to look up just as Riku noticed it too and both followed the shadow.

"WHOO YEA, OOF!" BomberNanimon cried as it was suddenly propelled back towards Riku and Ayumi, who simply stepped aside instead of helping.

"What the.." Tommy uttered as a dragon landed on the ground in front of Shingen and himself, and their digimon.

"Alright!" A goggled headed rider yelled, "Made it just in time!"

The dragon roared viciously, "If we didn't stop to help those two Koromon we would have been here sooner!"

"And abandoned someone in need? NO WAY!"

As they unsuspecting hero argued with his partner, Tommy moved over to Shingen as if he had been hit with an anvil. He looked at Shingen, towards the child on the dragon, and back to Shingen.

"Is that..?"

Shingen nodded dumbly. "Yeah, our school's loudest child and self-proclaimed hero, Sasuke Mitsunari."

Tommy's mouth fell open. "I don't understand anything anymore…"

------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 6: 40 AM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

"What do you figure it is?"

Gaomon leaned against the wall, "Why are you asking me?"

Kaito stepped forward and touched the statue, "If this isn't a clue then I don't know what is."

The two explorers were looking at a shrine on which stood a statue of a sword. The sword was black with red writing etched all along the blade and hilt. It's point was pointed down, barely touching the pedestal on which it stood. It was as if it were floating.

_Maybe it is._

Kaito reached out to the sword. He hand rested on the hilt briefly when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase that lead him and Gaomon here. Withdrawing his hand, Kaito turned around. Gaomon did the same.

From the staircase came appeared a small black digimon that looked like an imp. Gaomon growled, "Impmon, sneaky pranksters."

"What are you doing here? In this holy place!" Impmon roared.

_Holy Place? What does that mean?_

"Back Kaito!" Gaomon flashed in front of his partner as Impmon zoomed towards them.

Gaomon tensed up and waited for Impmon's attack, prepared for anything. The enemy rookie stormed forward but instead of attacking he leapt into the air, flying over Kaito an Gaomon, and landing in front of the shrine.

"You filthy human and those that affiliate will not be allowed to defile this place!"

Looking to Gaomon, who shrugged, Kaito gave a puzzled look to Impmon. "I don't understand, what is this shrine dedicated to?"

The viral rookie almost stumbled backwards, apparently from the shock of Kaito and Gaomon's ignorance. The rookie composed himself and pointed a finger on the sword statue. "This, is the sword of legend. A legendary weapon!"

_Weapon? Is the Sword in the prophecy a weapon?_

"When the creation of our world ceased this power was sealed and has remained so for generations! Only to be awakened when times calls it."

"Like say…when humans appear." Kaito began pacing. If the sword was a weapon then the shield must also be one. The question was, what was the purpose of those weapons in the prophecy? What of the picture of the shield and sword?

"Don't be silly, human! This sword will only awaken for those chosen! I have been here many, many, times and nothing has revealed itself!" Impmon touched the sword. "See! Nothing!"

Gaomon and Kaito looked.

"Look out!" Gaomon barked.

"Eh?" Impmon looked back at the sword. The red etchings were glowing and moving towards the center of the hilt!

_Why now? I touched it earlier and nothing happened. No, what if only a digimon can use the sword. Maybe a human can awaken it but only a digimon could wield it?_

Kaito looked to his partner and a sudden revelation came to him. A digimon parter for a human. A human to touch the sword and a digimon to wield it!

"Haha…haha! The sword!" Impmon cried as he lunged at the sword that was now glowing a violent golden color. Kaito and Gaomon covered their eyes, no other action seemed possible.

Impmon's laughter continue to ring. "Haha! Power! I'm digivolving!"

_What have we unleashed?!_

------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7 00 AM**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto**

"Riku…is…is that?"

"Yeah, Ayumi. I think that's…"

"Sasuke!" Ayumi ran forward, to the edge of the rock to get a better look. And sure enough, it was him. He even had those goofy goggles with him.

_What is Sasuke doing here? _ Riku laughed to himself. _ What a stupid question, what are any of us doing here? But, his partner, so much more feral then the others…as if it were wild._

"Okay!" Sasuke shouted, evidently having come to an agreement with his partner.

"Hey, Sasuke, why are you helping them?!" Riku shouted.

Sasuke shook his head, "The South burned down parts of the North, turned pieces of the Great Plains to stone, and destroyed a lot of things in the East before they were taken back! Whoever is fighting for the South is my enemy!" Sasuke pulled his goggles down over his eyes, "And by the way, I go by Scion now!"

Riku balled his hands into a fist. "Fine! If you want to fight us, then let's go!"

"The only one who will be defeating you is me, traitor!" Dinohumon roared.

"No, Let me and Sealsdramon fight him," Tommy interrupted. "We have a score to settle as it is." The soldier's son pointed at Riku. "And this time, we settle the score!"

_Tsh, so arrogant._

"Shingen…?" Dinohumon looked over his shoulder for a confirmation from his partner.

"It's fine…" Shingen turned his gaze to Ayumi, "She was the real traitor. She said she would help us ."

_Don't blame her for your own failure._

Dinohumon nodded and stepped down. Sasuke, on Dorugamon, came forward and pointed towards BomberNanimon, this signifying their opponent. The two teams stood on opposing the other, a showdown long in the making, through none of them could have foreseen the battle to come.

As a prolonged silence fell over the six, all wary of being the first to strike, among the five children who were present a single unified though ran through all of their minds; a blaring question that they could not answer no matter how they sought an answer.

_**Why did it have to come to this?**_

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_**A/N: **_Alright! So first off. Yes, I know I used BomberNanimon's technique in Japanese. I did that because the English Dub sounded stupid. Also, Dinohumon and Dinohyumon are the same digimon, I used to not know a lot about the Japanese version so I might accidentally drift back and forth, I'm sorry about that. I know not everyone is into he Japanese versions, so I try to stay dub if I can.

Also, new information has shown me what Dinohumon's "Lizard Dance" skill does. I'll be correcting the mistake of the attack that I used when I didn't know about it, not a big issue, since it was used only once before hand, but I just thought I should tell you all.

The next chapter will take longer to get because, of course, of all the fighting that is bound to happen! So bear with me as I try to make this scene as interesting as possible! I may, depending on how long it gets, break it down into two parts again.

And hopefully the prophecy, though kind of in the background of the story, is still keeping some of your attention!

Thanks for all your support!

-Arc


	23. A Sword's Edge

Chapter 21: A Sword's Edge.

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:10 AM**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto**

The echoes, cries, and cacophony of battle seemed to drown everything to Riku, even his own thoughts. He strained to keep his mind focused and ready to make a move at any moment. Three versus three, you'd say that would be fair but it wasn't. Three chosen children versus two other children and a wild Nanibombermon didn't quite level out in Riku's mind.

And then there was Sasuke. Of all the people he would have to fight he wondered why it had to be him. Tommy he could handle, Shingen he felt no real ties to, but Sasuke….

_That kid…_

_**::FlashBack::**_

"Darn it, she's going to chew me out I know it!"

A younger Riku, by one year, dashed down the sidewalk, turned the corner, and dashed across the street at the end of the pavement. He came skidding to a halt as he passed beyond the gate and into the day care center that was beyond it. He walked through the gate and into the building.

Inside he asked the first employee he saw, "Excuse me ma'am, I'm looking for my sister."

"Ah, Sakamoto, yes? She left to go home, she said she'd take herself."

_What?! _ Riku stumbled for words. "Thank you ma'am, sorry ma'am." Riku bowed and bolted into the street.

_I know I was late but she couldn't possibly really be trying to get home on her own! She's too small to do that. _

Riku began running on his normal route home. He looked in all of the shops that his sister normally wanted to stop and go into and asked all of the managers if they had seen her. Some swore they had seen her walking by.

By the time he had come back into his neighborhood he was beginning to panic; what would he tell his parents?! How would he live with that guilt on his head? He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away.

_No, no, no, no! I have to find her, I have to keep looking!_

"Hey, Sakamoto!"

Riku growled and started to jog away from the nagging person, he didn't have time to chat with people he wasn't even interested in. His sister came before anything else. He darted down the sidewalk to try one last location. A place that he hadn't had the time to take his sister to in a long time because of school. The park.

On reaching the small children's park Riku lunged over the small fence and into the sandbox and plowed through the tiny desert towards the swing set. He ran towards a small boy swinging blissfully.

Yanking on the swing, nearly throwing the small boy out of the it, he asked, almost commandingly, "Have you seen a little girl around here?!"

Focusing on the angry pre-teen the boy asked in return, "I have, who are you?"

Riku nearly snapped, "I'm her brother you idiot! Where is she!"

"Brother, really?" The boy stood up on the swing and was able to look down on Riku. He jumped at Riku, sending Riku to the ground with the boy on top of him. Before Riku could even gasp he felt the boys fist slam into his left cheek. "What kind of brother are you?"

_What..? _

Riku's stared absently off to the side as if struck by lightning. The boy grabbed his collar. "What kind of brother leaves his sister alone like that?! She was lost and scared!"

_Who..?_ Riku turned his face upwards, towards the boy. He couldn't open his mouth for some reason, even though every fiber in his body urged him to toss the kid aside and teach him something about Riku's reputation as a bully.

"You were her hero and you left her!"

_Hero…?_ Riku's finally snapped into focus and he suddenly yelled , "Where is she!?"

Looking towards the side, at a small tree house that was just recently built, he whispered, "She's must have cried herself to sleep. I found her that way, mumbling about her big brother."

Closing his eyes and taking a breath of relief, Riku suddenly felt all the strength he had leave him, like the water rushes out of an opened dam. He felt his body lax, minus his stomach which was still holding the weight of the small boy.

"Did you…watch her this whole time?" Riku asked.

The boy nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Sasuke. Sasuke Mitsunari."

"What did you…" Riku turned his head towards the tree house, "mean by hero?"

Sasuke sighed, "You're her big brother. You _are_ her hero, even though she may not notice it."

"Some hero I am. I left her.."

Sasuke stood up and extended his hand. "But you came back. You came back for _her_."

Riku looked at the hand extended to him and ignored it for several seconds as he let the simple, yet somehow profound, words sink in - he did come back. And next time, he'd do better. He took Sasuke's hand and pulled himself to his feet.

"It's getting dark, I should be taking her home."

They walked over to the house and found Riku's sister, just as Sasuke said, sleeping in one of the corners. Gently taking her into his arms Riku climbed down the ladder, with one hand and some difficulty, but managed not to wake his sister.

His sister was a small child, smaller then most. Her hair was a dark color, appearing to be black when it was actually brown, and tussled down beyond her shoulders with a curl at the ends She had pale blue eyes, almost gray in the light, and skin to match. A weak child, lacking the energy of most her age, yet she had a keen interest and sharper mind then teachers would call average.

"Well, I guess I should be going." Riku looked over his shoulder to say something, found nothing to say, and instead he started to walk away.

"Hey, what's your name?" The boy called.

Turning over his shoulder again, "Riku Sakamoto."

"Don't forget, you're a hero, and part of it is never giving up and never forgetting why."

Riku couldn't find anything to say to that either, so he left. As luck would have it, Riku was soon put into the school that Sasuke attended, the same one that Taiki and Tommy had gone to. He never really spoke to the kid, and he to him. But when they locked eyes Riku always got that same kind of push, a reminder to be better.

A bully he may be, but he was taught that a hero was he also.

_**::EndFlashBack::**_

An explosion rocked the ground, as if something had just plowed through the ground, and the standoff which had been dragging on for several minutes was broken.

"Woo yeah! Here we go!"

Riku jerked away from his memories just in time to catch BomberNanimon launch another attack. This was met with a terrifying roar from Dorugamon, who charged to meet the enemy in mid-air with Sasuke on his back. The two met and Dorugamon, being the larger, was able to use his weight to send the smaller champion up and away. Sasuke and his partner wasted no time in following. The battlefield had been reduced to four.

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:10 AM**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

"Well, he left just as unexpectedly as he came, and just as quickly." Shingen muttered towards Sasuke's withdrawal.

"No kidding…didn't even say hi," Tommy agreed.

Still, it was surprising that Sasuke was here. Not because he was so young, but because it seemed like he _belonged_ in this place, in this battle. Of all the people here, he would probably be the only one who would want to actually partake in this…engagement

Then again, Shingen too wanted to partake in this battle. He himself asked Azulongmon to allow him to fight independently in the war, and he was granted that privilege with the condition to strike against the South solely.

Sometimes Shingen wondered if he was doing this because it would be expected of him, or if he himself wanted to help. The Shingen that his father expected him to be, or the Shingen that he wanted himself to be. It was a battle that he still had to fight within himself. Between the self that fought for acceptance and praise and the self that did only for one's own satisfaction and happiness.

It had been worse at one time, far worse. And looking at Sasuke had reminded him just how bad it had been. Funny how such a small event could change someone's life…

_**::FlashBack::**_

Standing alone, looking at the board with the schools regional test scores showed that Shingen Takeda, grade seven, two grades above his age group, and had placed first in the regional exam. It would be something that his entire family would praise him for, and something his father would, probably, pass as acceptable.

Shingen pulled his pack over his shoulder with a sigh and sat down on a bench across the hall from where he scores were being shown. Being so drawn into his own thoughts, Shingen failed to notice that another had been sitting on the bench before him.

He remembered that his family had celebrated his score, another brilliant achievement. It was like he was graduating from school or going away for a long time and they wanted to remember this moment. Everything was perfect.

_Except…_

"Heh, all the first place tests in the world couldn't make him smile."

Inwardly Shingen felt like the scores were half the problem and it made him angry, he had a lot of anger in those days. But to simply drop everything would be petty, and what would his father think of it? No, he had to remain calm and be the ideal student and citizen, as was expected of him by his family.

From another standpoint, Shingen thought that it might have been a reason for his recent build-up of anger, and anger he had a lot of. It was frustrating for anyone when a parent was never happy with you. Any child would be outraged after continually failing. Even more so when you are the top of your class and there was no way you could humanly achieve more.

"My father is never happy with me. On top of that, my entire family expects me to be the best, the absolute best. I'm always trying to be something better…something greater. And even then he just brushes it aside, like I'm not important!"

He played the images of his family in his head, so happy and full of praise for him and his accomplishments. The next great Takeda head, they would say, a man any father would be proud to marry his daughter to they would say, a great future for him, they would say. It caused him to think, what if….just what if?

"What if I wasn't so great, what if I wasn't the best?" Shingen leaned back against the bench. "Would my family still look at me like that?"

_Would they still approve of me?_

"Maybe it's too much, maybe I should take it down a notch." In a huff Shingen sprang up and tore down the test scores from the bulletin board. "Maybe I should give up, maybe I'll mess up everything, mess me up….Maybe I'll make them wish they had the old me back…"

_Maybe if I ruined myself they'd appreciate me and see me as more then just an heir. Maybe my father would see how hard I tried for him!__I'm only ten, I can't deal with this kind of pressure. I'm only a kid!_ Shingen roared inside his head, feeling that familiar weight, the gravity of his born status. While other kids played, he had to study. While they relaxed, he had to push harder. He felt like cracking so often now that he was scared to think what it would be like five years from now. It was too much to be something that he wasn't. And what if he couldn't even remember who he was trying to be, and who he was?

Shingen tore the test scores apart and tossed them to the ground. He paced back and forth, one, two, three times before yelling, to himself.

"What if I can't remember who I'm trying to be?!? What if I can't remember who I am!? What if- ouch."

"You think too much." Flicking Shingen in the head again, the boy who had watched the whole event said, "If it were that easy to find out who we were then life be pretty dull, right?"

_How long was here there? _"Eh, what do you know!?" Shingen growled.

"You're looking at it the wrong way." He tapped Shingen again. "Okay, so your family and father want you to be great, right? But you want it too, don't you? If that's so then this person, the Shingen that is constantly pushing himself, is you. Instead of always thinking about trying to please your parents or family, try to please yourself. Does it make you happy when you are number one?"

Shingen had never really thought of it that way. He thought back to those days of studying, to those times when he had finished a new project, or put the final touches on a term paper. Those times were the worst. Yet, when he got those perfect marks, did he not smile?

It seemed like a light was finally coming on, and Shingen, who had for so long wrapped himself up in a competition for his father's affection, smacked his forehead with his right hand. To think that he had failed to see that even if his father had given him his praise…he would have still worked hard. Sure starting out it may have been his father that pushed him but he had become used to it, it was a part of him now. A piece of himself, and not of something false.

_Because I want to be praised for my work; I want people to look up to me._

"Yes. I do want to be the best." Shingen slumped down in the bench again and laughed, a long, strange laugh. Strange because Shingen rarely showed laughter. "Say, what's your name, kid?"

"Sasuke Mitsunari," he answered. "And you're by far the strangest kid I've ever met."

"Hehe…hahaha. I don't doubt it. Thanks a lot."

"For what?"

"I don't know why but what you said kind of helped me put things into perspective."

"That's funny, you're the first person I helped who I wasn't actually trying to."

"You weren't?"

"I just thought you were crazy."

Shingen laughed again.

_**::EndFlashBack::**_

It made no sense what so ever. It must have come down to the fact that Shingen talked about it, even if only once, and even if partially to himself. That kid riding on a dinosaur just listened for one day and changed Shingen's entire perspective on life. Even though his father's gaze still haunted his dreams he felt better knowing that he wasn't doing everything he did just for his father's sake.

He'd never forget the debt he owed to Sasuke, even though it seemed small, it was a debt that Shingen would gladly pay tenfold.

-----

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:15 AM**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

"Sangloupmon, after them!" Riku roared, pointing after the vanishing Sasuke, Dorugamon, and Bombernanimon.

"Way ahead of you!" Sangloupmon sprang to another rock and then to another.

"No you don't!"

In a show of speed, Sealsdramon grabbed Sangloupmon by his two back legs and tossed him into the air. "Your fight is with me!"

"Get out of the way, Sealsdramon!" The viral wolf barked venomously.

"What's wrong Riku? Getting cold feet?"

The soldier's son walked up to the mound that Riku and Ayumi were standing on, staring up fiercely at Riku, pointing at his arch-nemesis and then giving him a thumbs down, a sign of defeat for his long time enemy. Tommy took a small satisfaction knowing that Riku would, at the very least, become irritated.

"Fine, you want to fight? Let's go Sangloupmon!" Riku roared as he slid down from his perch, coming within yards of Tommy, where a staring contest seemed to begin.

"Heh, you'd think I'd just let you get away and chase after Sasuke?" Tommy cut the air with his hand. "I won't let you hurt him, you punk!"

Riku grunted, "Don't give me any of your lectures. It's not like he's a good friend of yours!"

_Maybe not my closest friend, but the kid is a friend. _"Don't act like you know so much. I protect people because its what I do!"

Both boys instinctively and, eerily, at the same time lunged towards the other. The two slammed into each other and the wrestling match that had been interrupted before was now entering round two. While they tussled, punched, and pushed, they both called out to their partners.

"Argh…tear his partner apart, Sangloupmon!"

"You can take him, Sealsdramon. Oof!!"

The two champion digimon were already locked in battle, Sealsdramon pushing Sangloupmon back with a flurry of attacks that put the four-legged digimon at a disadvantage. At the same time, many places of Sangloupmon's body doubled as sharpened knives, thus limiting the actual number of places that Sealsdramon could strike.

Leaping back, Sealsdramon readied his knife. "I'm going to shatter your knives!"

"Bring it on you big waste bucket!" Sangloupmon roared back.

The machine champion charged forward, his knife arm pulled back, ready to strike. Sangloupmon stood his ground, digging into the earth with his claws. Sealsdramon lunged forward, his attacking arm lashing out, as fast as he could.

Sangloupmon was faster. The wolf champion sprang forward, bearing its fangs, and latched onto the striking arm of Sealsdramon. Using his full weight, he pushed Tommy's partner to the ground, before biting hard into the metal arm and tossing him into the air.

"It's over! Stickler Knives!"

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:15 AM**

**POV: Ayumi Fujiwara**

At almost the exact same time that Sealsdramon attacked Sangloupmon, Ayumi attempted to support her teammate. It was also at that exact moment that Shingen and Dinohumon stepped in.

"Your fight is with us," Shingen barked.

_Well, it looks like Shingen has thrown away his manners._

Ayumi looked at the two boys, Tommy and Riku, as they wrestled in the dirt, while Sangloupmon unleashed his special attack on Sealsdramon, whose metal body was his only defense against the raining blades. It looked painful, horrible, and she wanted no part of it.

Too bad she was directly involved. Ayumi decided that her luck was horrible.

"Shingen, why don't you just leave! Take your army and flee. We don't have to fight!"

"You're wrong," Dinohumon answered for his partner. "We placed our trust in you, to help us, and you betrayed us."

"You don't understand why we did it, though!" Ayumi pleaded.

"There is no excuse for it, even with the best of intentions you still turned you back on us," Shingen snapped.

Peckmon placed himself in front of Ayumi. "Leave her alone. She's done what she believes is right! If you really want to fight, then lets get it over with!"

"Very well, and to show you my determination to defeat you." Dinohumon tossed away his two knives and reached over his right shoulder, unsheathing his great blade, "I shall destroy you with this blade, Akinakesu, and regain our honor!!"

"I see…I had hoped that you were not serious about fighting and that, at the very least, we could leave without any senseless violence." Motioning for Ayumi to stand back, Peckmon leapt down from the mound, putting himself on the same ground level as Dinohumon.

"Peckmon..."

"It's okay Ayumi, I'll defeat them without hurting them more then needed," Peckmon assured his partner.

Bringing his giant blade to his side and holding it horizontally at his side, Dinohumon shook his head. "No, you are wrong, for it is I that shall defeat you. In the name of the Takeda, Shingen's clan, and by my own sword. I WILL defeat you!"

Shingen lowered his head, just enough to hide his eyes from Ayumi, who wanted so bad to stop the fighting between the other chosen children. _I'm sorry Ayumi, but we can't avoid this. If we don't stop Riku here, then who knows what will happen. Riku has shown that he's a dangerous enemy and if he's helping the South, then I must defeat him…even if it means defeating you first._

"Here I come, strike true Akinakesu!"

"Take this, Kunai Feathers!"

The two digimon sprang into the action. Dinohumon lifted his massive blade above his head as he charged toward Peckmon, who unleashed a barrage of sharpened feathers towards the oncoming warrior. Both were determined to win, one for honor and the other to defend his partner's choice.

-----

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:20 AM**

**POV: Sasuke 'Scion' Mitsunari**

"Ouch!"

"Are you okay, Sasuke?"

"Yeah…and its Scion remember?"

Dorugamon roared at Sasuke for his stubbornness. After Dorugamon and Sasuke cornered the odd BomberNanimon they found that he was as powerful as he was strange. His attacks were explosions of fire, bombs, and ear piercing yelling. Well, the yelling was just annoying, but it might as well have been an attack!

The reason for Sasuke's current pain was that he couldn't stay on Dorugamon while fighting BomberNanimon, since his body wasn't as strong as his partners. The most recent attack by BomberNanimon had thrown Sasuke to the ground, teaching him the hard way the difference between humans and digimon, in physical aspects.

"WOO YEAH! You boys done already?" BomberNanimon howled as he bounced around like a child.

"Be quiet you oversized balloon!" Dorugamon launched off a Power Metal attack. It missed, but it served to make Dorugamon feel better.

"Forget it, just teach him a lesson and stop him from yelling," Sasuke groaned as he plugged his ears.

"I'll tear him apart in no time." Dorugamon roared again as he zoomed across the ground, flying inches over the dirt.

"WOO YEAH! Come on you tiny reptile!"

BomberNanimon practically jumped into Dorugamon as the dragon slammed into him. Now latched onto Dorugamon, the tiny ball digimon began to pummel Dorugamon while attempting to hold on. Small explosions of fire dotted the sky, marking where Dorugamon and BomberNanimon traveled.

After several blows Dorugamon saw that he could not shake the leech that was giving him more trouble than. SkullMeramon. While BomberNanimon lacked the brute force that SkullMeramon had, he made up for it by being a smaller, faster, target who still boasted some strength. One advantage that Dorugamon did have was his hide, hardened dragon scales, and using this information he began a nose dive towards the ground.

"Wooo! What a ride!" cried the clinging red ball digimon.

A deafening roar silenced BomberNanimon: "QUIET, YOU ANNOYING BUG!"

_Ooh…Dorugamon's mad…_

Sasuke turned around and covered his head to protect his eyes from the dust, dirt, rocks, and all other manner of earth that was kicked up when Dorugamon dive-bombed into the ground. A small tremor shook the ground for several seconds before Dorugamon rose out of the dust cloud that had engulfed the impact area.

Breathing heavily, which was to be expected, Dorugamon retreated to Sasuke's side to wait and see what had become of BomberNanimon. Once the dust had cleared Sasuke turned in time to catch BomberNanimon pushing himself slowly to his feet.

"Oooh….Wooo." The flaming ball digimon groaned, "I'm going….going.….going….TO PULVERISE YOU! COUNTDOWN!!!"

"Get down!" Shoving Sasuke to the ground Dorugamon took a firm stance as BomberNanimon charged directly at Sasuke's dragon partner.

"I'M GOING TO DESTORY US BOTH!!!" The enraged champion roared.

"Dorugamon dodge his attack! I don't like what he said!" Sasuke commanded.

"Tch!" Barrol rolling into the sky at the last minute, Dorugamon narrowly dodged the kamikaze digimon. The rampaging BomberNanimon dug his feet into the ground, stopping his forward momentum, and changed his direction of assault towards Sasuke.

_Oh geez!_ "Dorugamo --oof!" Swept into the air before he could even finish, Sasuke found himself safely on the back of his partner.

"I think you're right, we should let him cool down before we continue the fight." Dorugamon growled, upset that he had to wait to finish the fight.

"Coundown was the attack he used, sounds like a bomb or something." Sasuke shook his head. "You don't think he can blow himself up do you?"

"If he can, I wouldn't put it past him!"

"Aweseom," Sasuke remarked sarcastically. "…So now we wait."

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 6:40 AM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

"HAHA! IMPMON DIGIVOLVE TO…."

_What have I done?_

Kaito and Gaomon stood rooted to the ground, awaiting what horrid effect the Sword, now found to be an ancient digicore, would have Impmon. At first the light was a golden shade but as soon as Impmon began to digivolve the light became black and almost jagged, as if it could cut you like a blade.

"BOOGEYMON!"

"..Gaomon, digivolve! We have to put him down!"

"Right. Gaomon digivolve to…Gaogamon!" Completing the transformation turned Gaomon into a four legged dog, similar to a Husky or Akita. He had red gloves, like before, on his front legs and two scarf like appendages jutting out from his white mane. His skin was blue and white around his mouth, down his tail, and in various other places.

"This Holy Place…YOU DON'T BELONG!"

Boogeymon, in a seemingly hysterical frenzy, dove towards Kaito, grabbing him by the collar.The crazed launched himself towards the ceiling with a blatant disregard to the frailty of the human body.

"Kaito!" Gaogamon shrieked as Boogeymon slammed into the ceiling of the ruins, blasting a ridiculous hole into the ceiling that opened a path all the way to the surface. Grabbing his collar, Kaito tried to make room for himself to breath, which had become difficult at the speed Boogeymon was traveling at only made it harder to move.

_Is he getting stronger still?!_

Boogeymon came to a complete and abrupt stop as soon as he came to the surface and threw Kaito roughly to the ground. "Hahaha! Eat dirt, human! Hahahaha!"

_He's gone mad!_ Digging his feet and hands into the dirt, the responsible Kaito tried to push himself to his feet. His bones ached, his mind was in a jumbled mess, and his spirit had been filled with dread. Could he defeat such a beast and take back the Sword? Could the Sword even be taken back?

"Mwhaha, all this power! POWER! Sweet beautiful power. With this I can lead the South to victory! VICTORY!" Boogeymon continued on his rant.

Crawling away as fast he could, Kaito came to the edge of a small ridge. Looking over it, he came to see a showdown about to occur between Shingen, Ayumi, Tommy, Riku, another boy, and BomberNanimon. They hadn't begun to fight yet, it didn't seem like it would take long to start. Kaito watched them as he felt his legs become numb; why, he couldn't tell nor remember if he had hurt them.

He let his eyes drift towards the boy he couldn't recognize - he knew the rest from school - as Boogeymon continued to laugh at itself at some sick joke that only he could make sense of. It was the goggles that made his mind click and realize who the boy was. A boy riding a dragon.

…_.Him. What's he doing here? Why is HE here?!_

_**::FlashBack::**_

It was Kaito's third week in the digital world and he had finally been accepted by Baihumon into the Western Forces. It was a victory that would allow Kaito to move freely in the West and investigate the other territories that the West were fighting over. He had just found the first piece of the prophecy, minus the one at Jijimon's place, a week ago. It was a good start for him and boded well for the future.

He was practicing his boxing technique when Gaomon stumbled into the courtyard that Kaito frequented on his free time. His partner seemed a bit disturbed and discreetly came up to Kaito and tugged on his pants.

"What is it?"

"Just follow me."

Turning his head, his interest piqued, Kaito followed his partner out of the city and into one of the many windy plains that the West was known for. Pushing through the human-sized grass brought them to a small, very small, clearing with, to Kaito's great surprise, a small boy. He was battered and bruised, but alive nonetheless, or so he appeared.

Quickly kneeling at the boy's side, he felt for a pulse. "Good, he's alive at least. But…" Putting the boy's hand down, he looked to his partner. "What is he doing here? I thought I was the only one?"

Gaomon shrugged. "How should I know? You're the one searching for prophecies and such, you tell me!"

Kaito was about to snap at Gaomon for his sarcasm in a situation like this but was deterred by the stirring of the boy he whose side he knelt at. He reached for his forehead, found his goggles, and pulled them off his head slowly.

"Ugh…where am I?"

"Hold on, let me help you up." Kaito quickly helped the boy sit up. "Gaomon, get some water and food."

"On it."

"What happened to you?" Kaito asked after the boy was able to sit up on his own.

"Ughhh. A nasty, mean, dragon."

He laughed a little. "So what's your name kid?"

"Sasuke, but I liked to be called Scion."

"Why's that?"

"Because, it means heir, and I'm heir to a legacy."

"And what legacy is that?"

"A legacy of heroes. My dad was one, and so I am a Scion to that legacy."

Raising an eyebrow, Kaito asked how his father was a hero. Sasuke smiled and looked at his goggles for a moment before answering.

"He was a hero to me, and a hero to others. He was a fire fighter. He died when a fire caught in the apartment room below us. My dad got me out first and then went back in for my mother…..they never..."

"That's okay, you don't have to," Kaito quickly interjected, trying to be considerate of the boy's feelings. Two parents dead was no simple matter. He wondered how the boy was getting along before coming to this world.

"Why are you here? I thought I was the only one."

Kaito smiled, deciding to tell him why he was searching for the prophecy and what he planned to do. Finding the prophecy and fulfilling it was important, and he hoped it would end the war here and let them all go back home.

Sasuke stood up and dusted off his pants. "That's cool I guess." The boy began stretching his body and jumped a little; he also put back his goggles. Once he was satisfied with himself, he began to walk away, as if he owed nothing to Kaito.

"Hey, where are you going? You can't leave in that condition!" Kaito sprinted towards Sasuke and grabbed his wrist. "Why don't you stay here and help me? You don't have a digimon partner, right?"

"Not yet, I'm going to convince that stupid old dragon to be my partner and then I'm going to help stop this war!" Sasuke proclaimed.

"You can help me then, I'm sure th--"

"No," Sasuke interrupted. "I don't think that prophecy will work. A prophecy is just a prophecy, it doesn't mean anything. We make our own path."

Kaito wasn't ready for that. He expected him to openly accept his invitation and, to be honest, it made him a bit angry. This kid didn't understand what was going on. What was he going to do on his own?! Try to fight the whole world by himself?

"What are you going to do then?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Find the evil and destroy it."

Just like that. As naïve as could be. He was fighting a battle of good and evil; it was really that black-and-white for him, that clear cut. Kaito could have roared like a wild lion if he'd had the lungs. It was ridiculous thing to say, to try and accomplish! It was completely, totally, and absolutely absurd!

Kaito stepped forward and unleashed a barrage of all the logic he could bring to telling Sasuke how futile it was to try and find evil in a war that was fought over digimon just trying to protect and make better the lives of their family digimon. That no evil exists, just the difference ideas of powerful digimon gods. That no matter how he sought, all he would find was that all the sides were wrong and right, that all the sides were at fault and yet held some justice, and that all the sides should be both destroyed and saved.

"Maybe you're right," Sasuke mused after listening, "but I want to try. I'm going to make Dorugamon my partner and I'm going to find a way to stop this war…without working for one side. I can still help you if you want though."

"Why…why would I want a naïve kid like you to help me?! You don't even have a partner. I don't need your help, I just offered it out of pity. I'll find them myself and show you that it will help this world come to peace! I'll show you that you can't stop a war just by fighting!"

But he couldn't be stopped and he left even before Gaomon returned. It was a ridiculous thing to do, rushing blindly into a fight he knew nothing about and claiming that he would get a partner that he didn't create himself. Absurd.

It wasn't that Kaito was mean, nor was he really upset. It was a matter of principle. He, along with any others, were here to fix this war and to do that they had to know more about why they were summoned. It couldn't be as simple as just fighting. Fighting alone wouldn't solve anything! It didn't work in the human world and he seriously doubted it would work in this world either.

No, he made a resolution that day to show Sasuke that he was wrong. Well intended, but wrong. That you had to think and understand the problem before you can hope to solve it. He would solve it, he told himself, and he'd do it on his own if he had to.

He'd succeed all alone. It was his responsibility after all, being the first child to come to this world.

_**::EndFlashBack::**_

Kaito could have seethed to himself for hours had Gaogamon not slung Kaito onto his back by grabbing the back of his shirt and throwing him into the air. Boogeymon had attacked, causing an explosion which, indirectly, set off the confrontation below.The explosion being faster then expected caught Gaogamon off guard. He was thrown into a flip by the blast and forced to drop Kaito onto the ground while he himself flew over his human partner. Gaogamon soon found the earth to be just as hard as Kaito found it to be.

"Haha. Come on human, stand up! All I hear about is this power that humans have, power to stop this war. Come on, let's test its mettle against the power of the great Sword!" Boogeymon was now floating with its back parallel to the ground as if he were laying down.

"Uh…Gaogamon, my body is thrashed; you'll have to fight without me for a bit," Kaito groaned as he dragged his body over to his partner, who had put himself back on all fours.

"I've got it. But maybe we should ask for help?"

"No!" Kaito snapped. "They don't know what's going on, how could they understand or help us? We've got to do this ourselves!"

"Kaito, I don't know if we have time to worry about that! I can't fight him while trying to protect you at the same time!"

Several yards away, Boogeymon began to look increasingly bored, as if he had a sudden and irresistible urge to fight. Acting on those feelings, he dashed across the ground and smashed into Gaogamon, sending the unsuspecting digimon several feet away.

"Got a plan or something, human?" Standing over Kaito, the seemingly insane champion kicked his human prey in the gut with grim satisfaction. "So frail!"

"Spiral Blow!"

Boogeymon was swept aside by a small, yet powerful, tornado from Gaogamon, his most powerful attack in his champion form. The spiraling gust of wind carried Boogeymon a great distance, having caught the tormenting virus digimon unaware. Gaogamon howled as he dashed past his parter.

"Stay down Kaito, I'll try to stop him!" Gaogamon barked as he leapt towards Boogeymon.

"You…you think…that you can beat me!! I'll show you how much power I've gained! More power then you can imagine!" With a shriek Boogeymon began to glow, the same dark color that the Sword was…

He was digivolving again.

_No… this is happening too quickly. Gaogamon can't stop an Ultimate on his own. This can't be happening, not like this!_

Gaogamon leapt into the air, his claws ready slash his enemy into pieces. From the glowing light another shriek sounded, followed by a powerful blast of energy. Being in the air canceled Gaogamon's ability to dodge, thus Gaogamon had no choice but to take the blast in full. And in full he did. The dog champion was, once again, set flying away to a grand landing in the dirt. The blast had been so powerful that it tore the ground where it had passed, a testament to those that would later pass.

"Haha… so much power. To digivolve again so soon! I wonder how much stronger I'll become! Look on my new form. I am now Phelesmon!" A fallen angel digimon, clad in black and red and armed with a trident, arose from the darkness, the power of the Sword.

Kaito, by this time, was on his feet - barely. As he watched the spectacle, he found himself looking back towards the five kids behind him. If he had wanted to ask for help it would have been easy. All he would have to do would be to turn and call to them. To do that, though, Kaito would have to admit that he couldn't do this on his own.

Kaito had always been the responsible one, never needing to ask others for help, but always willing to help others. But where did his sense of responsibility become an issue of pride? Where was the defining line between a mature young man and a selfish child? The line, it seemed, had blurred.

There was no time to contemplate the question, though, for Kaito had an ever more powerful opponent aiming to destroy him and his partner, who had just returned from his first class flight, all thanks to Phelesmon.

_Gaogamon doesn't have the strength to win, not by himself with Phelesmon completely focused on him. If we had a few more peo….no, they are fighting each other so why would they stop, team up, and help me? No, I'm alone in this, just me and Gaogamon._

Kaito mustered all his strength. "Let's go Gaogamon! We aren't beat yet!"

"On the contrary, I think you are."

_What…?_

Phelesmon, who had suddenly appeared behind Kaito, put his hands on the boy's shoulder. "Surprised? This is the power of the Great Sword: no single digimon can defeat me with its power and certainly they won't help him. In fact, I think you're in the way. Good bye."

It was then that Kaito learned just how 'frail' the human body was as he was plucked up like a rag doll and thrown over the ridge as if he were a pebble. He was so stunned by the sudden flying sensation that all he could do was stare at the sky above him and the towering walls of the canyon as he descended, hit a slope, and tumbled to the ground where the battle between the three armies were being carried out.

"KAITO!"

He saw his partner run to the cliff, looking as if he were about to jump, before Phelesmon smashed him aside with the same ease of movement as Kaito himself was thrown by moments ago.

_Too strong, too fast, too much for just us._

And yet, they were completely alone.

-----

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:30 AM**

**POV: Sasuke 'Scion' Mitsunari**

It had taken roughly five minutes before Dorugamon felt it was safe enough to put Sasuke to the ground and continue his battle with BomberNanimon. The red ball champion was no longer glowing and yelling suicidal threats at them, and it seemed like a good sign.

Dorugamon and BomberNanimon had just begun the battle anew and were both launching ranged attacks, Dorugamon's consisting of metal balls and BomberNanimon's being bombs, of all things. Where exactly BomberNanimon hid the bombs was beyond Sasuke's comprehension.

Perhaps it was better not to know anyway.

"Go get him, Dorugamon!" Sasuke rooted.

He scrambled back to get up to a higher vantage point. Finding a suitable place, he locked his sight on Dorugamon. He saw them fighting the good fight, felt something hit the back of his legs, saw the sky, and then felt the earth underneath him.

"Ow, what hit me? A boulder?" Sasuke groaned as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. He looked at his feet and found that a boulder it was not. Human clothing, hair, and skin definitely pointed to a human child.

Sasuke knew it was Kaito, but it took several moments to recognize him since he had lost his blue jacket - or it was lost until it landed on Sasuke's head. It had been torn off during Kaito's rough descent down the slanted slope.

"Hey, hey, Mr. Responsible, what happened to you?" The goggle head nudged Kaito, finding a strange irony that this was the exact reverse of their initial meeting. Only this meeting the wounded, Kaito, seem much more severely hurt and to joke about would be in bad taste.

Sasuke took a quick looked around. Dinohumon's and Peckmon's fight had moved closer to Dorugamon and himself, and they were within shouting distance. Sealsdramon and Sangloupmon were within throwing distance as well. They must have moved here since this was the least concentrated area as far as the fighting went.

From the corner of his eye he caught Kaito beginning to move, a slow and painful process, he was sure. "Got…to get….back."

Rising to his feet, Kaito had to stop himself to steady his breathing. His body was bruised and it looked like he might have had a swollen left eye, not to mention that his clothes were now about as tattered as Sasuke's. Something serious had happened.

"Whoa, whoa!" Sasuke put his hands on Kaito. "You aren't going anywhere! Not like that!"

Kaito tried to shake off Sasuke, but he only managed to shake his own body. Turning his head upward he looked to the ridge and tried to see any sign of Gaogamon. There was nothing to see but plenty to hear. He kept hearing the same sinister shriek that blew shock waves of energy, a scary foreshadowing for the fate of his partner.

Kaito stepped forward, felt his strength fail, and he collapsed again. He brought himself up unto his knees and looked to the ridge again for some sign that his partner was okay. What he saw made his heart sink: Phelesmon flying at that terrible speed, clutching Gaomon by the neck, and ramming both Kaito's partner and himself into the opposite canyon wall. He saw Gaomon drop to the ground while Phelesmon floated in the air, looking no worse for the wear. His partner must have devolved at some point.

"What is that?!" Sasuke, astonished, remarked. A similar look appeared on almost every other digimon and human present in the area.

"Kaito, what is…" Looking down at his feet he saw that Kaito had his right hand latched onto his left ankle.

Sasuke had seen plenty of sad faces in his life, but he hadn't seen many as bad as Kaito's. His tears ran down his face, from only his one good eye since the other had become swollen shut. His fingers were dirty from having to drag himself over to Sasuke since his feet couldn't carry him. But it was probably the look that Sasuke hated the most. He knew that face: the face of someone who as scared that they were about to lose something or someone dear to them.

It was the same face Sasuke had had when his father went back in to save his mother.

"Please…stop Phelesmon. I know you and everyone else are fighting…but…" Kaito coughed up what appeared to be a mixture of spit and blood. "Please…save Gaomon. Please…"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. Phelesmon, as Kaito called him, was descending on Gaomon with a look of evil that the goggle boy had never seen thus far. He looked to Shingen, Ayumi, Tommy, and Riku; they had all stopped and turned to Sasuke, as if waiting. Sasuke's eyes met each of theirs and they, with a strange acceptance of things, nodded.

Sasuke knelt down and freed his ankle before jumping to the edge of the tiny ridge. He positioned his goggles and closed his eyes. A friend was in need, a hard to get along with friend, but a friend who needed help. Sasuke took in a huge breath.

"OF COURSE WE'LL HELP YOU!!!!"

-----

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:40 AM**

**POV: None**

"_OF COURSE WE'LL HELP YOU!!!!"_

Sasuke leapt down to the ground and began walking to the other side. He looked towards Shingen and Ayumi. "Let's go."

"Heh…well, that's it for now," Shingen muttered, motioning for Dinohumon to follow.

_I guess I get to repay my debt sooner then I thought. It's better than this._

Ayumi released a sigh of relief. "Peckmon, you heard him."

_So we didn't have to end of beating each other in the end after all…thank goodness.  
_

Passing by Riku and Tommy, who had stopped fighting when Sasuke declared his intentions, the self-proclaimed hero jerked his head. "We're going!"

"Got lucky Sakamoto. I almost had you," Tommy boasted, calling for Sealsdramon.

_I'd never admit it, but I really didn't like fighting Riku…it felt wrong._

"Heh, you keep thinking that, Draggers," Riku shot back.

_Oh well, plans don't always go as planned._

Riku, Tommy, Shingen, and Ayumi converged on Sasuke. Moments ago they had been fighting a rather sour battle amongst each other, all of them intent on winning. Why they dropped their individual battles was in large part to two simple facts, truths that they themselves didn't want to admit. First, they never wanted to fight the others in the first place, it was similar to fighting a sibling in which you can become so angry that will you resort to fighting but you always have that feeling of guilt about it afterwards.

Secondly, and possibly more importantly, they all owed a favor to Sasuke and, more then that, they all looked up to him. Young as he was, he had a certain air about him that others simply wished to follow, even people as stubborn as Tommy, as smart as Riku, as experienced as Shingen, and even someone like Ayumi who had developed a dislike of violence, seemed to respond to him. If it had been in the normal world it may not have happened like so, but this was a world of monsters and fantasy, and in this world even the smallest of creatures could become a hero.

Noticing the approaching children, Phelesmon tilted his head in confusion. "What's this? More children who want to be destroyed? I don't understand, weren't you fighting moments ago?"

Sasuke stepped up to bat. "We were, but you did something that was unforgivable. You hurt a partner of a human." The other kids nodded. None of them would ever have wanted to see their partners harmed so.

"But more then that…" Sasuke pulled off his goggles and threw them to the ground with a sudden flare of anger that had never been seen in him before. "YOU MADE A FRIEND OF MINE CRY!!"

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**A/N: **Yes, yes, I know. Long time no see. Well, exams hit me and as you can see….this chapter is LOONG. There was no place to really break it into two without being idiotic so I put it all together. On top of that I revised it a whole lot, which was a bit of a hassle for my grammar eating friend (sorry!).

Anyway! I do hope this chapter makes up for everything. I think this being the fifth or so version it should make everyone happy. But, onto a topic. I wish to remind everyone that these are children and so what are children famous for? Emotional instability and lack of control. Which is part of the reason I made the dig destined younger, I wanted more pure emotions with less though (Obviously Kaito, Shingen, and Riku being a bit more mature then most). I wanted that kind of child like innocence to shine through, and the pain of realizing the evil realities (Ayumi.)

I also realize that Kaito and Sasuke's flashback might seem unrealistic, well Children often do things that make little to no sense and selfishness and pride are often one of their vices. On the flip side children can also be the best of friends and tend to get over grudges with more haste then older people.

Well, I'll stop babbling and let you decide for yourself! I can't wait for everyone's reviews! Thanks for reading everyone.

-Arc


	24. An Enemy Reborn

Chapter 22: An Enemy Reborn!

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location  
**

**NOTE: To do a review for this chapter, since it replaced the old one, you'll have to do an anonymous review. Sorry for the trouble and I'm looking forward to said reviews! -Arc  
**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:50 AM**

**POV: None**

Four digimon, five children, one possessed monster. For Sasuke and the others this was the battleground, all that had once forced them to fight against each other was null and void, forgotten even. As the children approached the beast it became clearer that their own squabbles were petty compared to this, and more favorable too.

"Ho…made him cry? Boo hoo," Phelesmon, a fallen angel digimon of the Ultimate level, mocked. He wiped away fake tears, swiped his hands to hide his face as his expression changed to a sinister smile, "YOU'LL ALL BE CRYING SOON CHILDREN!!"

"That bastard." Tommy clenched his fist, "He's got some nerve making fun of Kaito like that."

"You act like you know him."

Without even looking at Riku the soldier boy shrugged. "He's in the junior division for boxing, my dad is in the adult division so I've seen him around. He goes to our school too."

Pausing to think for a moment Riku was able to remember the name and person Tommy spoke of. He knew him but hadn't interacted with him except on a single occasion for an art project. Still, it was one more tally for Riku to chalk up; a tally for every person in this world that Riku knew….so far he knew everyone that he had come across in this strange place.

"Does it matter if we know him?" Shingen asked. Phelesmon had begun laughing after his outburst and even though several seconds had passed by the laughing still continued. Gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword, Shingen grounded his teeth together. "I think it's painfully apparent that this monster needs to be put down."

Shingen knew Kaito as well, simply because Shingen had made it a goal of his to meet every person in the school. It was an attempt to garner support for his run for class president, back in the days when he drove himself to the edge of snapping to please his father. Kaito was more street smart then book smart, and the personality issues arose quickly, so Shingen abandoned his attempts at friendship. Shingen hated to think that he had once been so shallow.

"Hey, don't forget that he hurt Kaito's partner! How would we feel if it was our own digimon?" Ayumi chimed in, receiving an understanding silence from the three boys. Ayumi knew Kaito the same way as Tommy did, through boxing. No one really knew but Ayumi had also taken some classes and, secretly, she had goals to surpass the male as another test for herself.

"Hey, hey. I think he's coming." Scion pointed towards Phelesmon who must have finally realized he was not being paid any attention in the slightest. The four digimon braced themselves for an attack from the increasingly powerful digimon.

Sadly, they were interrupted.

"WOO YEAH! FLY LITTLE DRAGON!"

All heads looking up, they were welcomed with the sight of BomberNanimon, yet again, riding on the back of Dorugamon and, yet again, the dragon was spiraling towards the ground. The two dove into the earth between the Digidestined and Phelesmon.

"Dorugamon, pull out of the fight! Over here!" Sasuke waved his arms, signaling to his partner.

Out of the smoke Dorugamon waltzed, dazed by his own attack. The smaller BomberNanimon came out in a similar haze. The two wobbled around the other until Dorugamon was able to exert enough control to lash out with his tail, sending the red bomber towards his newly evolved second-in command, and towards safety.

Or so the Digidestined thought.

He was caught in the palm of Phelesmon, since the Ultimate was now easily the size of a three story house. He caught his teammate and without words nor a change in his expression, that same malicious smile. The champion was blasted with dark energy from the same palm that caught him. The five children watched in stunned silence at the murder. Phelesmon didn't even so much as twitch when BomberNanimon became scattered data.

"This guy…" Tommy began.

"He's a maniac," Riku said.

"Too dangerous to leave alone." Shingen pulled his sword, a show of the boy's intent.

"Evil." Ayumi muttered.

"We take him down, here, now." Scion stepped forward, between the four children. A slight breeze began to blow as the Chosen Children stared down Phelesmon who had suddenly become ominous and silent.

"GO!" Tommy and Shingen roared, sending Sealsdramon and Dinohumon dashing into battle.

Sealsdramon was faster and reached the towering Ultimate his with blade drawn. He leapt towards Phelesmon's head, but the fallen angel was quicker and stronger and lashed out to slap the cyborg down, and being in mid-air meant that Sealsdramon was indeed dealt away with.

But an opening was created and Dinohumon was able to make a powerful striking blow to Phelesmon's right leg, causing him to stumble. The demon turned his attention to the samurai and opened his mouth to attack when a hailstorm of daggers and sharpened knives, along with several metal balls, came crashing down on Phelesmon's head.

"Surround him, don't group together!" Shingen called out, waving his sword out in a wide arc.

"And stay back unless you have an opening; don't get too close!" Riku added as he ran nearer to his partner.

Ayumi and Tommy complied with their actions, running around the enemy and closer to their partners. With a canyon wall to Phelesmon's backside the five spread out in front and to the sides, in a sloppy pentagon. The digimon took up position near their partners, all ready to give battle.

"Are you alright, Sealsdramon?"

The cyborg Champion nodded. "Yes, just a bit shaken…physically he's very powerful, but we haven't seen what special attacks he can unleash on us in that state."

"Listen, we'll have to take him at the same time; fighting alone won't work!" Shingen called out to Sasuke, who was closest to him.

"Right, I agree! We fight together, everyone!" Sasuke raised his hand and slashed the air. "We fight as one today!"

Riku snorted, _Cheesy_. "Alright then, if you say so. Sangloupmon, we'll lead the way!"

With a whistling howl, Sangloupmon sprang forward, zigzagging towards Phelesmon, with Peckmon trailing from the air. The two rushed forward, Peckmon using his ranged attacks to cover for the fast moving wolf as he neared.

Phelesmon raised his left hand to guard himself from the showering feathers and stretched out his right to attack. A dark orb began to generate in the palm of the fallen Angel; the orb held the same dark mist that the Sword held when it had been awakened.

"Interrupt him Dinohumon!"

Approaching Phelesmon from his right, the warrior champion answered by action, raising his mighty blade, Akinakesu, and striking the same point he assaulted moments before. The striking blade caused more damage the second time around, slicing into the armor and causing a spray of data to erupt. Dinohumon's eyes opened in confusion. Digimon were not supposed to bleed data like this…what was happening to Phelesmon?

"Not bad," Sangloupmon complimented as he came into contact with Phelesmon's shadow and merged with it, using his Black Mind ability.

_Yes, now Sangloupmon can wait and attack when he's at his weakest._ Riku motioned for Sasuke to move in at this point. The goggle-less leader nodded and pointed forward to signal Dorugamon to attack. With a barbaric roar the dinosaur shot forward, flying up and over Peckmon who had retreated to rest for a moment.

Seeing that Phelesmon had turned his attention to Dinohumon, who had to turn to defense when the lumbering digimon unleashed the dark orb of energy on it, the dragon dove down and collided with the Fallen Angel's wing.

Phelesmon took a step back, stumbled as he put pressure on his still wounded right leg, and began to fall back. It was now that Sealsdramon appeared, his knife flashing, and yet another wound was opened Phelesmon's left shoulder.

"Sangloupmon, go now!" Riku called out, seeing that now was as good a time as any to attack.

The vampire wolf did not disappoint, rising from the shadow of the fallen creature and sinking his fangs his enemy's neck, draining his data directly. But something occurred and Riku, perplexed, watched as his partner released his hold on Phelesmon and collapsed directly afterwards.

"What happened!?" Ayumi flailed her arms out to get Peckmon's attention before pointing to Sangloupmon. Obediently, the flyer swooped in and removed Sangloupmon from the battle.

"Riku, what's going on?!" Tommy demanded, running up to his rivals (apostrophe) side.

Riku shot daggers at Tommy and ran a hand through his slicked hair, thinking in overdrive, "It had to be the data, Phelesmon's data. It's got to be bad or something…Everyone! Stay away from the data pouring out of his wounds!!"

With the alert, Dinohumon and Sealsdramon quickly jumped away from the fountain of data that continued to erupt from the two wounds. The powerful, but increasingly slow, digimon rose again and raised both hands to the sky, again gathering dark energy in his hands.

Sasuke blinked in horror. "A bomb! Everyone scatter, it's a bomb!"

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:50 AM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

Waiting from his prone position, Kaito bit his lip with frustration. He could see the fight, the battle, and Kaito saw that it seemed to be going in the kids favor, that Phelesmon would be defeated. But what bothered him was the change in Phelesmon. He had once been quicker, stronger, more evil. Something was happening to him, the Sword was doing something…

_Is the Sword destroying him? He digivolved so fast, is the power too great? All that outpouring data….yeah, he can't take it all! He's being destroyed from the outside, we've won!_

"Kaito…"

Turning his head Kaito caught sight of Gaomon, no, it was his In-training form Wanyamon. He was just a blue and white furball with a tail, big gold eyes, and an M marked by darker blue fur on his forehead. The tiny digimon bounced over, sometimes rolling due to injuries, over to his partner.

He could feel the tears welling up again, "Hey, stop moving around…you're going to, ugh, hurt yourself."

Successfully making it to Kaito's head, the furball digimon planted itself in the crook of his neck, "Look who's talking, you can't even move." Coughing softly, Wanyamon wiggled to make himself comfortable.

"This sucks…I'm going to be wrapped in bandages for weeks!" Kaito muttered, attempting to move his bad arm, his left. It had been stiff as a board ever since he got thrown to the ground by Phelesmon.

It moved.

_Huh?_ Kaito moved his legs, his other arm. No pain, no strain, nothing. The boy stood and touched his face, nothing but his eye, no swelling or anything, but how? Wanyamon looked at his partner with a raised eyebrow, asking silently what was the matter.

"…I'm, healed?" He touched his body and stood on his feet, as if everything had been a dream.

"Hey, I thought you were beat up…" Waynamon whined.

Kaito shook his head. "It has to be…because we're data. Your wounds must heal really fast, and all at once, like a reset button or something. Just like Tommy, he took a direct hit from you and was completely healed when we got back to camp that day."

"Well, how about helping me then?"

Kaito nodded and reached for the connection between human and partner. Newly healed Kaito was easily able to feed Wanyamon with strength and soon his partner was restored to his rookie level, and moments later, his champion form.

"I think it's time we made a move and helped out." Petting his partner on the head, Kaito cracked his neck. "This is, after all, our responsibility."

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 7:50 AM**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto**

"Dorugamon! Stop him!"

"Cannoball!" Rushing forward, Dorugamon made another attack on Pheleson as it unleashed the massive orb of energy. Thankfully Dorugamon's attack more or less caused the dark ball to drop directly in front of Phelesmon, and due to Peckmon's great speed Sasuke's partner was quickly removed from the blast radius.

"Yes! That blast might destroy him for us. Good job Sasuke!" Riku cried. But victory celebrations were cut short as Sangloupmon, who should have been away from the battle thanks to Peckmon, came limping towards his partner.

"Riku…"

"What are you doing!? Get away from the battle, you'll get hurt!"

With a defiant roar the wolf champion silenced his partner. "You have to warn the others, his data! It's--"

" I know, I know! It's bad and we shouldn't touch it, now go-"

"RIKU!" With a gulp Riku stopped talking, never before had his partner opened rebelled like this. The champion limped forward again.

"It isn't poison. The reason the data harmed me was because it was changing, and it attacked me from the inside. He's changing Riku. Whatever is inside him is changing him from the inside!"

"That's impossible, just look over there, we just dropped his own attack on him. He's…"

_Oh no…_

And there it stood, when the smoke cleared a perfect oval shaped sphere floated ominously in the air, far shorter now, only about eight feet in height, and slim. It gave off a strange dark aura, with yet again that same dark mist, almost like a transparent flame. And before Riku could so much as utter a cry it cracked…

"What is that?" Stepping forward, Sealsdramon began to scan it with his mechanical eye. He detected the crack in its shell and, almost instantly afterwards, a massive energy spike. A beam of light shot forward, and then another, and another. Sealsdramon had to close his one real eye and look with only his robotic eye as the light blinded normal eyes. He noted that all the others followed similar measures.

But that light…became darkness and it consumed everything. The mist began to recede but through the darkness Sealsdramon saw something he didn't expect, something that caused him to freeze. That moment of indecision cost him dearly.

"Stun Claw."

Sealsdramon saw but couldn't react as a lightning fast arm stretched out of the mist and gripped the champion's neck. Dropping his knife he reached for his neck even as he began to feel the real attack come: electricity. Suddenly Sealsdramon was crying out as sparks filled his metal body, the electric attack being a sore weak point of the cyborg.

"Sealsdramon!!!" Sprinting forward Tommy raced to his partner but was held back by Sasuke and Shingen. "Let me go! LET ME GO!"

"We can't fight him now, we have to wait until we can see him!" Sasuke protested. "If you charge in you'll just get hurt too!"

A short distance away, Riku watched as the mist evaporated, revealing the new enemy, changed as Sangloupmon foretold. He stood tall, with a slim and lanky build, his skin a dirty snow color with every (?) red orbs up the right side of his middle section, and black jeans that had some kind of golden knee guards attached to them. His face was hidden behind a golden mask and his hair, also white, trailed down his back, with two large red wings folded in.

"Heh, pitiful, to think that you had once been such a bother to me." The newly formed digimon looked to Sealsdramon. "I shall send you to the graveyard, you poor collection of data!"

Throwing Sealsdramon into the air the mighty new evil pointed his claw yet again. "Guilty Claw…" The digimon turned his head, canceling his attack, and looked down at his chest where Dinohumon's sword had struck. The samurai looked in shock as nary a scratch lay where his sword had hit. "If that is your wish…then I shall delete you first."

In one motion Dinohumon was swept away and the same hand stretched out as it had to Sealsdramon. The red claws on each finger extended and made to pierce the fallen digimon, but was intercepted by Dorugamon, who tackled the attacking limb, knocking it off course and harmlessly towards the ground…where it completely punctured the digital earth.

"…Who is that?" Riku whispered, more to himself than to Sangloupmon or anyone else.

The golden-faced digimon turned towards the spooked Digidestined. "Me? Why I am NeoDevimon, remade by the Sword of Power! I am your own personal harbinger of death!" The so called angel of death lashed out with his other arm, intent on Riku. The injured Sangloupmon was not going to allow it though, and threw himself in front of the attack.

_No! _Mere feet from himself, Riku had to watch as a second digimon was attacked with the same electric technique as Sealsdramon. But Riku's partner was weakened and the attack seemed to inflict more pain on the howling vampire wolf.

"Kunai Feathers!" Unleashing a line feathers the bird digimon's attack struck true, and several of the sharpened projectiles now protruded from NeoDevimon's outstretched arm. But the attack continued and NeoDevimon, as Dorugamon pulled on the other arm to keep it from attacking again, hardly seemed to notice. Eventually, though, Sangloupmon was tossed aside….broken as Sealsdramon before him.

Two had fallen. Only three remained.

_Sangloupmon…_ Riku ran to his partner, crossing the path of a released Tommy who was running to his own partner. Both digimon had reverted to their rookie stages and lay slumped on the ground, and not even Dracmon could manage a smile for his partner.

"Power Metal!

"Kunai Feathers!"

With Peckmon up high and Dorugamon at ground level the two digimon unleashed their most powerful attacks, while Dinohumon charged forward bearing his great sword. The three remaining Digidestined, those with partners still able to fight, watched silently as their partners attempted to battle against an enemy that had brought down two of their comrades without moving from where he stood.

NeoDevimon merely shielded his body with his long arms as the powerful metal orbs slammed into his frame with a shower of feathers raining down from above. The two attacks combined gave Dinohumon the perfect opportunity to attack, and attack he did by launching himself straight into the air and down on the recreated digimon's head. The power of Dorugamon, Peckmon, and Dinohumon's combined energy launched NeoDevimon from his standing position and into the far canyon wall.

"Yes!!" The three remaining children cried victoriously. Ayumi and Sasuke jumped into the air while Shingen made a less noticeable, but certainly not less felt, smile. They didn't think the battle was over, but it at least seemed they could definitely win.

While NeoDevimon was imprinted in the canyon wall, the evil digimon cracked his neck, "Ho, it appears you still have some strength left." The Digimon removed himself from the crushed rock and dusted himself off, opening him to attack once more.

"Akinakesu!" Again the mighty sword was raised and brought down on NeoDevimon's head.

But this time the enemy was not going to sit idly and allow action to be taken against him. He raised his right arm and stopped the great sword with his bare hand and stuck out with his left with lightning proficiently. Caught off guard by the block, Dinohumon was blown away by NeoDevimon's power.

"Now, die! Guilty Claw!" The blood red nails extended once more and NeoDevimon's arm shot forward…

"DINOHUMON! MOVE!" Shingen pleaded with his partner, who had just now gotten to his knees.

Throwing his hands up and gripping his head, Sasuke yelled as if he were at a football game, "Dorugamon, do something?!" He knew the consequences for being struck by NeoDevimon's attack and wanted to save another of his comrades the torment.

Already moving, Dorugamon slammed into Dinohumon, removing both of them from the attacking path of NeoDevimon, whose arm snapped back with a hiss. But the Ultimate was not done with them yet and extended both arms towards the two dizzied champions.

Seeing something from the corner of his eyes, NeoDevimon turned to see Peckmon moving across the ground towards him. Without hesitation he retargeted his attack towards Peckmon as the ninja bird somehow blinked away, leaving seven of the said digimon in its wake. In a chain, dozens of Peckmon began to appear, though they only stayed for several seconds. The speed of creation was so fast that it seemed that several dozen Peckmon's were arrayed before NeoDevimon, though only one was real.

"Yes, go Peckmon!" Ayumi cheered, recognizing Peckmon's Thousand Beak special attack, and attack that used such speed that it created afterimages of the bird digimon. Eventually her partner would strike from the army and NeoDevimon would be none the wiser!

Off a short way Dinohumon and Dorugamon watched from the sidelines, unsure of how to assist a partner they could not see. The samurai digimon turned towards Shingen as he came running up towards the two.

"Hey, I've got an idea. If it works it might give you two enough speed and power to inflict some damage." Wondering what this new idea was the two champions turned towards the born tactician.

Amongst the army of Peckmon the original felt it was finally time to strike and so from a concealed position, hidden in his own afterimages, the ninja champion struck with a powerful beak thrust. The blow connected and NeoDevimon was sent reeling from the attack, but he was not knocked so much that he could not reach out and grab his attacker with both claws and deliver a double Stun Claw.

"No." Ayumi's hand came up to her mouth as the vicious attack, twice the strength of what was given to Sangloupmon or Sealsdramon, was brought to bear against her partner.

"PECKMON!!" Bolting ahead at the sight of her partner's agony, Ayumi ran as fast as her legs would carry her and would have been to her digimon in a minute if a tornado like wind didn't bowl her over. Her red hair sprayed in her face she feel to all fours and watched as Dinohumon, riding on the back of Dorugamon soared towards NeoDevimon.

"RAAAWR!" Dorugamon roared as soared across the ground, moving so fast at this point that making any kind of adjustment in flight path would have been difficult, and stopping impossible.

"FOR OUR FRIENDS!" Coming up the left side of NeoDevimon, Dinohumon swung Akinakesu with all his strength, the powerful sword directly connecting the fallen angel's neck. Combined with the strength that was added by Dorugamon's boulder-like speed, the blow picked up the Ultimate and carried him once more into the canyon wall. Such force had a cost, though, and the two heroes, unable to stop, careened into the wall next to their target.

As Peckmon fell to the ground with Ayumi frantically rushing to his side, the two remaining Digidestined watched in awed silence as the pieces of the upper canyon wall broke away and avalanched down, burying the three digimon. Sasuke, for all his courage, and Shingen, even with his usual calm, couldn't find it in themselves to utter a sound.

The only true sounds were the Ayumi's sobs, Riku's curses, Tommy's mutterings, a sinister howling wind, and the even present clamor of the battle that was still taking place around them.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

** Author's Notes: **So, yes, I had a looong vacation. But the issue with this update was that I didn't feel like writing until almost a week after I returned, thus why it took so long. But here it is, and I hope it shall make up for the wait with all the action involved. I believe I might make a few minor changes, with some work done on the action scenes to make them more...intense? I wanted to get this out to you guys so you all knew I was still around, haha.

So, yes, here is the new chapter I hope everyone will review, and maybe some new people? I'll be deleting the second intermission chapter eventually, so when you see that the story has gone down one chap, don't freak out, haha.

Sorry for the long wait and thanks for all your patience! I look forward to reading your reviews!

-Arc


	25. Victory and Defeat, Hand in Hand!

Chapter 23: Victory and Defeat, Hand in Hand!

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 8:30 AM**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

Sasuke could normally find words to fit any situation. But today he found his tongue caught and his stomach tied in knots. This situation left him with nothing but the ability to stare. What was needed was something bizarre to force him to snap out of his current frazzled state.

Such event was delivered when Kaito Akimoto walked up from behind him in near mint condition. Sasuke's head snapped to the right and he looked up at the taller, and older, boy. Kaito returned the gaze and they held an awkward silence until Scion uttered a baffled 'how'.

"Kid, I don't even understand totally." Kaito flexed his fingers. "I'm just here to offer some help….and judging by your situation, I think you're going to need all of the help I can give."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but Shingen put a hand on the young man. "How about we save the questions for later…Look."

Shingen pointed to the piled high mound of rubble that was caused by the by Dinohumon and Dorugamon's attack, the three boys watched as the rocks began to rumble as those buried underneath struggled to free themselves.

The question was…was it the Dinohumon and Dorugamon, or NeoDevimon? Out of the rubble blundered, much to the relief of those watching, the two hero Digimon. They clamored out of the wreckage and hurried, with battered bodies, over to their respective partner.

Kaito sighed with relief as Sasuke jumped up and grabbed Dorugamon's neck, much to the Dragon's disapproval, and as Shingen gave his partner a warm pat on the shoulder and a nod of satisfaction. Normally it would have made the day brighter…but looking off to the right he saw Ayumi and Riku tending to their partners, who were forced to their rookie stages by the weight of their wounds.

"What should we do now?" Shingen asked, more to himself than to anyone else. "To continue fighting might not be the best option."

Kaito crossed his arms. "Yeah …besides my own partner, our fighting strength is really shot, and let's be honest…We aren't exactly a great team, haha."

"There aren't any options to choose from, other then when. We fight him now, or we fight him later, I say we take our chances and go for now," Sasuke commented, in typical tough guy fashion. "While we are together!"

_Heh, kid has spunk. _"Alright. Listen up then, and I don't have the time to give you the full low down on this character but I saw him digivolve twice and then change completely, and it all has to do with the Sword."

"Sword?" Sasuke and Shingen simultaneously said.

"Right," Kaito nodded. "I think it's a digi-core in essence but with some kind of special properties. Anyway, if we can somehow extract it from NeoDevimon or destroy it completely, we should, with any luck, reduce him to his original strength."

Sasuke looked a bit confused. "He has a sword in him..? Oof!" The boy's head was pushed down by Shingen, who nodded.

"Right, so finding some way to remove or destroy it should be our focus."

"Exactly."

"Wait a minute!" Freeing himself from Shingen's grasp, Sasuke pointed to the still dormant pile of rocks. "He might be defeated already, and even if he isn't, how are we supposed to take something out of him when we can barely scratch him!?"

The two older boys turned to the rubble and stared with a cruel understanding of what such a thing meant. Sasuke looked up at them both, meeting their eyes separately and only for a few seconds. Shingen turned his head away and Kaito balled his fists.

"No…we can't," Sasuke whispered.

"If it comes to that…" Kaito mumbled, cutting him off.

"If it comes to _that_ I'll do it." Shingen looked to Dinohumon who simply nodded. What could you say when something of this magnitude was decided?

But Sasuke was not pacified. "No…No! We won't do that! We WON'T!"

_Sasuke… _"I'm sorry kid…" Kaito looked up and his face grew grim. "We don't have time to discuss this anymore.

Whipping around, Sasuke watched NeoDevimon's rocky grave be blown apart by dark energies. The evil digimon stood tall and craned his neck to the left and right, the cacophony of cracking bones echoing faintly. What was instantly notable about the Ultimate was that he had been damaged, but one could only tell by the way he was breathing, as his body seemed no worse for the wear. In fact, the only noticeable change in his appearance was a light pulsating from his chest, a faded light in a very familiar shape.

_The Sword!_

Kaito made to point at NeoDevimon's chest, but the glowing light faded away before he could do so, and, with the light, so did the fallen angel's fatigue. _So the Sword only reveals itself when NeoDevimon is harmed…that'll be tricky._

"Shingen,"

"I saw it. "

"We've got to hurt him again and make it reveal itself. The best choice would be…"

"An all-out attack."

"Dorugamon will lead and," pointing at Kaito with a sharp look Sasuke made his message clear even before he opened his mouth, "no one is dying today!"

_I can't guarantee that Sasuke… _"Right, no one dies." Kaito put on his most convincing smile. He was sure that Sasuke would fall for it, the boy was far too trusting.

"Can we stop talking and fight already!?" Dorugamon roared impatiently.

"A true warrior does not relish battle, but sees it as a means to an end," Dinohumon rebuked.

"Who cares? We don't have any choice but to fight, that's what matters." Putting his two cents in, Gaogamon crouched low, ready to move at a moment's notice.

With a nod, the Digidestined turned to face NeoDevimon, who awaited their next attack with an icy calm. The towering enemy seemed to care little that the Digidestined were biding there time; in fact, he seemed to be biding his own. Perhaps he was more injured than the trio of children dared to hope for.

But the battle had begun and Dorugamon charged without waiting for his partner, forcing Gaogamon and Dinohumon to enter the fray as well. The three Digidestined sent silent prayers after their partners and hoped they would be victorious in a fight that had already nearly cost them three digimon, three comrades…three friends.

Seeing the approaching attackers, NeoDevimon lifted his arm. "Come, and feel deletion!" With a flick of his wrists, his arms stretched out towards the Chosen children's digimon. Dorugamon tried to veer out of the way, but battle fatigue slowed him just enough to allow NeoDevimon to grab one of his legs and slam him into the ground.

The other hand attacked Gaogamon but, being rejuvenated, he was able to dodge the outstretched arm. But NeoDevimon was not deterred and simply changed his focus of attack towards Dinohumon, who had unfortunately positioned himself behind the dog champion. He was struck in the chest so hard he reeled backwards, his head slamming into the ground before his feet did.

Gaogamon unleashed his Spiral Blow special attack, releasing a tornado from his mouth. NeoDevimon could do nothing more than take the blow with both of his arms preoccupied. Following up on his attack, Gaogamon pushed himself to his limits in terms of speed and struck the fazed NeoDevimon with his Dash Double Claw attack. The twin attack forced the fallen angel to released Dorugamon and sent him back into the canyon wall.

But NeoDevimon was not to be outdone and even in his stupor he was able to redirect his retracting arms to latch onto Gaogamon from behind. Smashing the champion into the ground, NeoDevimon retracted his arms and dragged Gaogamon forcibly across the ground until both limbs were returned to their normal length.

The dust cleared and NeoDevimon stepped forward as he lifted Gaogamon into the air, a glower on the Ultimate's face. "You…I disposed of you once already! This time, I will make _sure_ you are gone! Stun-!" Intervening at just the right time Dorugamon appeared and latched down on NeoDevimon's right arm with a powerful bite.

"Argh! Pest, how dare you!" Releasing his left arm, leaving his trapped right to hold Gaogamon, he prepared to attack again, but once more he was interrupted by Dinohumon who rushed forward, grabbing the left arm and pinning it to the canyon wall with his smaller twin blades, which he had retrieved after the rock avalanche incident.

"We won't let you hurt another of our comrades!" Dinohumon protested. Dorugamon also mumbled something but being a bit tied up at the mouth allowed him only a series of grunts and growls.

"Yeah, and you can let go of me! Spiral Blow!" Having regained consciousness Gaogamon attack again, the tornado burrowing into NeoDevimon and causing extensive damage, due to the close range, and prompted from said digimon a shriek of agony. The cry of pain from the Ultimate was the first real sign that they had inflicted damage.

Back at a safer distance, Sasuke, Shingen, and Kaito stood in stunned silence. Hope had returned to their eyes, hope for victory! They looked to each other with small smiles, a few nods, and even a sigh of relief.

"We can do it…we can win!" Shingen put a hand to his head in almost disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Scion jumped into the air, flailing his arms and allowing himself his traditional grin that reached from ear to ear.

"Just a little more…we just need to attack the Sword and we win!" Kaito beamed at the three valiant digimon as they struggled to hold NeoDevimon in place and keep him from moving as Gaogamon attacked unhindered. In fact the only unpleasant thing was NeoDevimon's cries of pain. "Come on, we need to root them on!" Kaito darted forward, Shingen and Sasuke following in close pursuit.

_Just a little more Gaogamon! We'll beat this guy, find the rest of the Prophecy and go home! You'll get to meet my mom and dad. Just a little more! A little more!_

Before his eyes the struggle continued, though things had begun to turn against the hero digimon. NeoDevimon lifted both Dorugamon and Gaogamon and was slamming them into the canyon to the Fallen Angel's right. Gaogamon couldn't free himself due to NeoDevimon's grip on his neck and Dorugamon, well, he just simply refused to let go. Only Dinohumon seemed to be holding his own, though the powerful digimon's left arm was noticeably struggling against the two blades pinning it to the wall.

In an instant the tables turned and, in a massive electrical shock, all three digimon were blasted away from NeoDevimon, sparks bouncing across their bodies for several seconds after. Tearing away Dinohumon's blades from his arm the fallen angel inspected the deep cuts and growled sinisterly as bits of data trickled out of the wounds.

The once-triumphant Digidestined came to a skidding halt as their partners struggled to stand, their bodies still reacting violently from the last attack. Only Gaogamon was able to stand quickly enough to avoid the attack to come. In a vicious assault, NeoDevimon lashed out with both claws, intent on Gaogamon.

The dog champion leapt up and onto the first arm to reach it, sprint up the length of the attacking limb to assualt NeoDevimon, but was struck unaware by the second arm as it snaked into the ground and out again just before Gaogamon. The champion howled as the first arm came around and placed its grip on its prisoner.

"Like I promised…YOU WON'T BE COMING BACK!"

Kaito's entire body tensed and he could only look away as the familiar sound of electricity filled the air. Once he had been unable to do anything to help his partner; he would not allow it to happen again. But Sasuke had read his mind and tackled him to the ground before he got one foot off the ground and instantly the two were wrestling for control, with Kaito screaming to be let free.

"No, no! Let Dorugamon and Dinohumon help him! Argh…Shingen, where are you?! Help meeee--Ack! Hey, that hurt!"

The sounds of attack stopped and all looked to see NeoDevimon holding not Gaogamon, but Gaomon. Another Digidestined had fallen. For Dorugamon, however, it only fueled his bestial rage as he charged savagely towards NeoDevimon. But rage blinded Dorugamon and instead he was slammed hard with the body of Gaomon. The champion grabbed his comrade and put him to the ground, and in that moment he too lost.

"Stun Claw!"

The striking blow snaked forward, striking Dorugamon at the chest and sending a shock through his body. Pulling back his left arm NeoDevimon prepared for the finishing attack. "Be gone, Guilty Claw!" The Fallen Angel's claws morphed into a singular blade. Sasuke, along with Kaito, watched in utter horror as the fallen angel pulled back his attack…and thrust.

The sound of tearing flesh echoed ominously, hanging in the air.

…_What?_ Kaito's look of shock was replaced with a gasp, following by tears and grinding teeth.

"No…Why did you do that! WHY?!" Sasuke roared, tears already profusely pouring. The little boy, so courageous normally, couldn't even pick himself up off the ground.

All he could do was reach out…as if he could stop time.

---------

**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 9:00 AM**

**POV: None**

NeoDevimon looked to his left, where Dinohumon was holding his arm with both hands. He had tried to come over and stop the blow from ever reaching Dorugamon and Gaomon. NeoDevimon, with glassy eyes, then looked to his front.

"Ironic."

Shingen's sword was plunged deep into NeoDevimon, striking just where the Sword had shown itself. But unfortunately…Shingen, in doing so, had taken the full brunt of NeoDevimon's attack.

"Shingen…Shingen, say something!" Dinohumon roared.

But the boy was still, standing with his hand gripping his sword. Like a statue. NeoDevimon's attack had punctured his stomach and if not for Dinohumon holding the attack back…he would have been skewered. The Champion's face refused to show weakness; he pulled NeoDevimon's arm free and rushed to his partner before he collapsed to the ground.

As for NeoDevimon, all he could feel was the unhinging. Looking down at his stomach a faint glow began to shine through. The Ultimate looked up at the sky, coughed, and said, "To think…to be defeated by a human child…oh, the irony." NeoDevimon coughed one last time before the light of the Sword engulfed him, Shingen, and Dinohumon, completely. The light turned into an orb and then shot into the sky.

Like a pillar, the light rose and then vanished from the bottom up….No sign of Shingen or Dinohumon was left in its wake…

------

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

_Huh!?_

He awoke, sitting up, and looked around him. Darkness, nothing but faint light around him, like candlelight. Feeling something at his leg, Shingen jumped away. It appeared be a round ball with horns and a tail. He crept forward and touched it.

"I don't want to wake up yet!"

Shingen could have cried! It was Kapurimon, Kotemon's In-training form. He petted his partner softly and turned his head to get a better view of his surrounding. With his sight adjusted, he could clearly see he was in what appeared to be a traditional Japanese room, complete with shoto - Japanese sliding doors - and even a large banner at the back of the room with a clan's symbol. Walking over to the banner, Shingen could clearly see what the symbol was.

The realization made his stomach lurch.

_That's...impossible._

"Who's there…?"

_That voice…_ Shingen spun around on his heels as the shoto slid open and a figure walked in with a lit candle holder. The person was female, dressed in a traditional night gown, and had black hair down to her waist. He'd recognize that person anywhere in the world.

That person also recognized Shingen, and with that revelation she dropped the candle holder and rushed both hands to her mouth out of habit.

_She always did try to hide her mouth when she was afraid …never worked though._

"…Is….Is it really you?"

He didn't understand. Why was he here? Why now? HOW?! But all of those questions melted away when he looked at her. Even in shock she seemed to calm him.

"Yes, it's me. How are you…Mother?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Alright, so yes, I seem to be taking longer and longer to update these days, I know. I've just been taking longer and thinking more, and with college starting that always cuts into your time. But, I am here and shall continue to return as often as time permits. 

First off, let me assure you all, this is much more logical than it may seem. This isn't like how Tai and Agumon went to the real world after they fought Etemon, it has a bit more depth to it. In fact, the pillar of light was already revealed to you readers (and if you forgot, well, shame on you!). So fear not, things will make sense, though I can't promise they will right away! But I am fairly excited about the next chapter, I get to introduce a parent! I bet some of you were wondering if I was going to leave the adults out of the story, well I am NOT! Hah!

Well, I hope I haven't lost all of my readers with my rather random updating system. You'll have to stick with me on this one guys, I really am thankful for those of you that have stayed with me on this somewhat darker digimon adventure story, I know for some it is a big break from the usual. I hope everyone enjoys this latest, and rather intense, chapter. I look forward to your reviews!

-Arc


	26. A Man's Word

Chapter 24: A Man's Word

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

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**POV: Shingen Takeda**

Over the past few weeks Shingen had been in some of the most outrageous, unbelievable, and absurd situations that seemed only to exist in the mind of the wildest child. Yet, it seemed to him that to be so abruptly faced with the image of his normal life was…unreal.

Looking at the woman on her knees, staring at him with wide eyes, Shingen had originally thought that he was dreaming, or seeing a vision. Maybe this was a mental construct his mind had built to make the pain of death easier? He did die…right?

"Shingen…is it really you? Is it truly you??" she asked again.

Hana Takeda was, to her son's eyes, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her hair reached down to her waist, was black as darkness and finer than silk. Her skin was pale, as was popular amongst traditional women - lighter skinmeant higher status in the old world (A reason that Geisha's would wear white powder on their face). And the only thing she shared with her son was in her eyes; they both had the same shade of deep blue, though her son's eyes were far sharper than his mother's.

Shingen's mother collected herself and sat with her legs bent under her. She took a deep breath and folded her hands neatly in her lap. The Takeda boy sighed. Even here she kept to the old traditions even when faced with the appearance of her long lost son. He would never figure out where her control came from.

"How long have me and Emi been gone?" Taking the same sitting position as his mother, Shingen asked the only question that seem fitting to start such a conversation as this.

"Almost a month I believe. The whole clan is in a panic…some have even started to believe the worst," Hana answered directly. "What of lady Hamano?"

"Emi is fine, mother, she's doing very well despite everything."

With the formalities out of the way the two fell into silence. The obvious question to follow just seemed to hang in the air, unspoken, but very present. Hana shifted ever so slightly, a showing of being uncomfortable, even with her own son!

"I don't know where to begin, mother. It…look." Shingen scooted to the side and scooped up his partner, placing him in his lap. To Hana's own merit, the only sign of her discomfort, or surprise, was the raising of her hands to her mouth again.

"I don't know where, I don't know how, but it is a place inhabited by these…" Monsters? Animals? Demons? No, they weren't that. They were…

"These fantastic creatures that can evolve into larger, and more powerful, versions in the blink of the eye. From a tiny creature like this to a being of great, and sometimes terrible, power. They are called Digimon."

He knew his mother, under normal circumstances, would have thought him sick. But the proof was in his lap, and in the existence of his partner, the truth was undeniable. Shingen placed a hand on Kapurimon's head and cast glance down on him. Strange to think that this same creature was also Kotemon and Dinohumon. They really were fascinating creatures.

"And in this…place, what have you been doing?" Hana asked, concerned about the nature of a world inhabited by these…Digimon.

_Saving a war torn world. _"I've been helping them; they have….several political issues to deal with."

"And this…digimon…is your…?"

_Partner who fights for me. _"My assistant who helps me deal with things and cope with their world. A kind of translator and mediator if you will."

"And you, and lady Hamano, are alright."

_Other then fighting for our lives and me being stabbed in the stomach. _"Yes, we have been treated very well."

Shingen shot his mother a smile and realized, from the look in her eye, that she knew him to be lying. It might have been that Shingen didn't smile much, it might have been simple mother's intuition, but she knew. She saw straight through him.

"They day you left, was the day your uncle gave you that gift."

_Ah…that's right._

Shingen remembered it: he had gotten a game from his uncle. He recalled his uncle muttering about how kids should have more fun. Yes, he remembered it well. The game started, asked for how many players, names, and then…off they were.

_So was it planned by my Uncle or just a fluke?_

"Yes…I remember that being the day," Shingen agreed.

Hana took a deep breath. "I knew…I knew you would come back. You simply couldn't be gone like the others said. My son, gone? No, it couldn't be." She seemed genuinely relieved now.

And it broke Shingen's heart.

_Mother… _ "Mother…I have to go back. I…"

Shingen's mother gasped, causing the Takeda heir to perk up. Hana stared terrified at Shingen, as if he were a ghost. Looking down at himself he saw perhaps he was a ghost; his body had begun to fade, along with Kapurimon's.

"Shingen….what is…?"

Suddenly Shingen saw blue sky, rocky canyon walls. The valley of Ironfist. He was going back, back to the digital world. Fate, it seemed, had not deemed him worthy to leave the war torn world yet. That was fine for Shingen…he wasn't done yet anyway. Still, to have returned home and torn away so quickly…that did hurt.

"Mother, I'm sorry. You'll have to wait for me a little longer."

"No, Shingen! You can't just vanish again!"

"People are counting on me! Emi is waiting for me to get back." Shingen stood, Kapurimon in his arms.

His mother reached out to him, her mouth agape to speak. She stared at him with pleading eyes, willing him to stay, stay here with his family, with her. A child's place was at his mother's side. Shingen attempted a smile once more.

"Don't worry, mother. I'm going to come back and bring all the rest of the kids with me! I'm not the only one who is struck there. I promise that I will return, I swear it by my name! By the Tiger of Kai!"

Hana withdrew her hand, stood up slowly, and approached her son. She wrapped him in her arms and held him tight, even as he began to fade from the world. She took a deep breath and whispered to him.

"A man never goes back on his word. A promise made, must be a promise kept."

"Yes, mother. I'll make good on my promise." Shingen closed his eyes, to fight back any chance of tears escaping him.

Shingen stepped back, out of his mother's arms. He was almost completely erased from Hana's vision. She folded her hands together in front of herself and watched. She had no tears, but her eyes showed she hurt to see her son leave…so close, yet she could do nothing to stop it.

"I promise! A man never goes back on his word!"

And he was gone.

In that room, Hana stood. She reached up to wipe her eyes and looked at the vacant area where he had stood. She smiled softly.

"Be good, and be brave…what a fine leader you'll be someday. Goodbye, Shingen…my son."

After that, Hana didn't feel bad at all when she started to cry.

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**Digital World -Ironfist - Day 15 - 1:00 P.M.**

**POV: Shingen Takeda**

He saw the blue sky, the cratered canyon walls, and felt the ground underneath him. Shingen realized he was lying down and staring straight up with an almost dazed look. A shadow was cast over him, though, and adjusting his neck to look at the origin of the shadow he realized he was very much alive.

"Hey, hey! He's awake!" A shrill male voice boomed.

_Sasuke._

"Are you sure? I say we poke him just to make sure." That voice was sarcastic, joking even. The annoying, even maniac, laughter that followed showed revealed their identities.

_Riku and Dracmon._

"Shut up, Riku. You'd be a bit weak if you went through what he went through!" That voice was obvious - there was only one female in the group after all.

_Ayumi._

"Yeah, Riku, he fought hard for us! A real soldier."

_Tommy._

"Tsh, you guys act like you _expected _him to come back," Riku barked back.

"True…it was, unexpected. Looks like I'm not anywhere near understanding this world."

_Kaito._

"Ugh." Shingen moaned, rolling on his side. He felt two firm pairs of hands grab him and hoist him up. A quick glance showed him Kaito on his left and Tommy on his right.

"What…happened?" Suddenly feeling winded, Shingen had to breathe between his words.

The group, all together now, exchanged glances. Riku looked up at the sky, Ayumi kicked a pebble, and Sasuke scratched his head. Not getting any answers from them, Shingen looked to the digimon, but they were resting it appeared like. Apparently, only Dracmon had any energy to move, though even his laugh from before sounded strained.

"The pillar of light took you up and then…it just came back. We thought NeoDevimon was returning but it was only you and Kapurimon." Kaito pointed towards the digimon, singling out the sleeping Kapurimon among the group.

"Yeah, and your wound was all healed up too! Your clothes were even fixed." Tommy poked Shingen in the stomach. Expecting pain, Shingen jerk away but no such agony came. Besides his fatigue he felt excellent.

The group sat down, in a circle, and filled him in one what had happened over the past few hours. Shingen had apparently only been gone for a very short amount of time, half an hour at best. After they were sure he was alive, Kaito, Riku, and Ayumi went and stopped the fighting. With Leomon, who had survived the fighting, pulling out and Riku moving his newly owned forces into Ironfist, Ayumi was able to persuade Shingen's digimon army to retreat as well, under the pretense that a negotiation was going on between the East and West.

"So, we just waited on you after everything was all said and done," Tommy concluded. "Digimon don't leave anything behind when they die so there wasn't any clean up…it's a lot easier than in our world."

"Humph, you guys are just lucky I thought up the plan about the negotiations or Ayumi wouldn't have been able to stop Shingen's army," Riku boasted, his chest inflating with his ego.

Tommy grunted, knowing he couldn't retort because it was true. Riku's face grew bright for a moment but a glance from Ayumi killed his moment of victory. Kaito sighed, grumbling about selfish children, before realizing that he had little to say himself.

"So…what happens now?"

The question caught everyone off guard, all but Sasuke, who had asked the question. Each person looked down into their laps. It was a tough call. They had banded together and defeated a much more powerful opponent than any of them could have beaten alone. But the battle was over; it was time to move on. The question was, in what direction.

Shingen, surprisingly, was the first to speak. "I'm going back east. I'm tired, and I'm sure my army is. Not to mention Emi is probably waiting for me."

"I'll come with you." Everyone turned to Kaito. "I've already been to the Western, Central, and now Southern shrines, and I need to continue searching for clues to the prophecy….maybe I'll be able to make some sense of what happened here today."

Shingen nodded to Kaito. Opposite of them Riku leaned back on his hands and blew out a stream of air, as if he had been holding his breath for some time now.

"I…" Riku began, but looked to Ayumi, who nodded, "we, are going to head to the Southern capital and meet this Phoenix God face to face."

Tommy sighed. "Separating again! Gah!" Tommy looked away from the ground, obviously hurt that they were separating again. "Well, Leomon only came to defeat Karatenmon, and since that's all wrapped up I guess I'll be going back west. Since everyone else is going separate ways." Though he seemed resolute, it was obvious that he didn't like the idea of leaving everyone.

"I'll come too, I need a place to rest for a bit." Sasuke motioned to Dorugamon. "And though he won't admit it, he's exhausted as well. Better to travel in groups in our condition."

Sitting in that circle, having overcome evil and, somehow, death itself, the group sat more unsure of their own individual goals. For Riku, he felt that to stop the war was to get to the source, the God Digimon. For Shingen, he felt that swift action would cripple the chance of a dragging war. For Kaito, it was finding the purpose of the human appearance in this world. As for Ayumi and Tommy, they had no great plan for how to stop the war; they simply wished to aid those who did. And for Sasuke? Well, his vision was something more clean and clear than the others.

Their ideas wasn't perfect, many might say they weren't even good ideas, but it was something. And for children, who nary a month ago had no care in the world, hope was all they could do. Hope that someone would be right, that someone would succeed. So they knew they had to separate, for that hope that one of them would succeed.

They stayed together until night fall…and then separated. And with that day they realized that even though they were fighting eachother, they weren't enemies. They were all friends, forged through hardship. Even those some had hated the others in the past a new found respect had grown where once bitterness has resided.

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**Digital World -West Terminal Forest - Day 15 - 2:00 P.M.**

**POV: Taiki Yamada**

"How senseless…"

Reaching down and scooping up a clump of ash, Taiki Yamada took a step back and assessed the situation. He stood up and watched the wind blow the ash from his hand and into the air.

_The wind is blowing north…._

Suddenly a wisp of wind landed on his shoulder. His digimon partner, Kudamon, sniffed the air and pointed out towards the beach. He saw rising pillar of smoke, being blown north…and ominous sign of something to come.

Two days ago Central Terminal had gotten word that the Western Border was under attack. Ebonwumon wanted to send aid immediately but with so many good digimon lost in DeathMeramon's attack, the Northern God felt hard pressed to do so. It was thus decided that the Taiki and Michiko would instead go, and report the situation.

What they found was that Ogremon, one of three Western generals, like Leomon, had attacked. The reason for attack was simple; it was to take advantage of the North's weakened state. But this wasn't a simple attack of force; the enemy was using hit and run tactics. They would set fires, attack the woodland digimon as they put them out, and then retreat.

"Michiko, I'm going to check the beach."

The raven haired female nodded, moving some hair out of her face. Taiki looked over his shoulder at her and frowned. She had been in a slump for a while now and he wasn't sure if he was partly to blame. With Emi suddenly popping up, Taiki hadn't noticed how the battle with DeathMeramon had affected her. He assumed that with Emi around she could forget, if only for a time.

She just seemed to have lost herself, depressed that DeathMeramon had beaten her and that she became more of a burden in the fight. Lalamon had tried to bring her out of it, but to no avail. It seemed that it was just a matter of time now.

As Taiki began his trek to the beach, a small stretch of sand marking the coast, he wondered if he was part of the problem. His childish thoughts of not fighting had been shaken, hard. Taiki was beginning to think that he had been wrong all along.

_Sasuke._

The name filtered into his head frequently. He had fought SkullMeramon, fought and won, thus ending the battle. Taiki, though, had begun to realize why he lost so easily. It was intent, the intent to win. Sasuke was willing to fight until DeathMeramon was destroyed, Taiki, on the other hand, knew that he couldn't have gone to the same lengths. He would have just fought until DeathMeramon gave up.

To turn away evil just to have it return, or to take a life for the greater good. That's what it seemed to come down to in the end. Was he, or was he not, willing to destroy those who would bring harm to those he wanted to protect?

Another gust of wind, stronger than the last, slammed into Taiki. His hoodie, unzipped currently, fluttered in the wind. His hair, un-styled as it was, blew freely in the air, revealing his hazel eyes as they trained themselves on the column of smoke ahead. If things were not so serious, Taiki might have enjoyed the breeze.

"Too much thought, too much!" Kudamon chirpped, knocking on Taiki's head.

"Hey, cut it out!" Taiki reached up to his head to grab his partner, but the wily mon danced away and to the ground. The rookie stood up on his tail and stared up at his partner with big golden eyes. "No sad! No Sad!"

Taiki sighed, "Okay, okay!" Smiling despite himself, Taiki scooped up his partner into his arms. "You really are a handful.

"You mean two!"

Looking down and seeing that he was indeed using two hands, Taiki broke into a light laughter. "Yeah, yeah, two handfuls!"

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**Digital World -West Terminal Forest - Day 15 - 2:00 P.M.**

**POV: Michiko Hasegawa**

Michiko straightened her khaki shorts and pulled on her long sleeves, pulling out the wrinkles, a nervous habit as of late. After there was nothing left to tidy up Michiko began playing with her necklace, fingering the symbol of peace. With Taiki gone, Michiko stared forward, downcast.

"Michiko…" Even the high-energy Lalamon's spirit was dampened. She floated over to her partner and tugged on her shorts. "Come on, Michiko! You've got to pull yourself together!"

_Oh, Lalamon. I do, really…I'd love to help, but I'd just be a burden. _

The plant digimon looked up sadly at her partner's pretty face. She looked away, disappointed in herself and Michiko. "When we came here, we said we would do our very best!" Suddenly Lalamon spun to face Michiko again. "And just because of one bad experience you're giving up! No, we can't give up! Taiki didn't give up when he was beat! We have to keep trying! If we don't…we'll never be able to protect anyone!"

Surprised at Lalamon's sudden change, even Michiko was moved. Biting her lip, Michiko simply had to face the truth. The sad, petty truth. It was failing that was really getting to her. No, it was something far more basic, far more instinctual.

"But.." Michiko rubbed one of her eyes, not because of tears, but just to give her hands something to do. "What…if I'm not like Taiki, or Sasuke, or Emi? What if…I'm just too afraid?!"

"Michiko…"

"When DeathMeramon defeated us I was so scared. I had never been so terrified in my life, and when I heard that Taiki had fought so hard, and Sasuke too, I….I started to think that I just wasn't brave enough, that if I had been a little more brave I wouldn't have ended up a captive."

Lalamon rushed to her partner and jumped into Michiko's arms. "It's okay to be scared though! No one ever said that Taiki wasn't afraid, or Sasuke, or anybody! Everyone is scared of losing. But you have Taiki to help you, and Kudamon, and me! We'll look out for you always!"

Michiko bit her lip again, to calm her nerves. She hugged Lalamon tightly to her chest. "Oh, I'll try Lalamon. Thank you, thank you so much!"

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**Digital World -Ironfist- Day 17 - 4:00 P.M.**

**POV: Riku Sakamoto**

Two days had passed since the battle of Ironfist. Riku and Ayumi stayed at the canyon fortress to allow all the remaining southern digimon to rest, and to allow the fort to be rebuilt, and room had to be made for Karatenmon's mon. During that time Riku and Ayumi made their own way to the Shrine of the Sword, and gave it a once over for themselves. There wasn't much left since Boogeymon had destroyed most of it in his frenzy.

Riku was out with Dracmon on the second day, directing the remaining digimon to the shelter of the fortress. When everything was done Riku returned to the spot where NeoDevimon fell, remembering how close obliteration had come to them.

"Thinking about NeoDevimon, Riku?"

Riku didn't need to turn around to know that it was Sangloupmon. His partner had taken to his champion form these days, hoping that staying in that form might make him stronger. While Riku didn't believe it would work, he couldn't disprove it either.

"Just a little. We should head back." Riku turned ninety degrees and nodded to his partner, who started to trot off. One glance back at the spot and Riku felt secure enough in the thought things would be different next time that he felt he could leave this place forever.

But as he stepped away a glint caught his eye. Looking down directly as his feet he saw something reflecting the sun's light. Using his foot, Riku kicked away the sand and picked up the tiny object. He held it up to the light, watching as it took in the rays of light, reflecting them into every dazzling color.

"Riku!"

Stuffing the object into his pocket Riku turned on his heels and ran towards Sangloupemon. They had decided that tomorrow they would head to the capital, to finally meet one of the four Gods. For Riku, he saw the little treasure he had as a token of good fortune.

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**Author's Notes: So, late, I know, I know! I have three good reasons, well, maybe not good but reasons! One is college, the second is computer malfunctions, and the third was that I've recently met a girl and that has taken a bit of my focus. FEAR NOT THOUGH! The story shall continue.**

**In fact, as I am looking this chapter over I note two characters right away who have really become something different from what I imagined them, at this rate they may even swap roles. If you can point them out I'll give you a cyber cookie.**

**The next chapter will be a heavy character development chapter, you got a bit of it with Taiki and Michiko in this chapter. By the way, what did you think of Shingen/Hana scene? Good, yes? No?**

**Thanks for your patience! Reviews are always welcomed!**

**-Arc**


	27. Unresolved Thoughts

Chapter 25: Unresolved Thoughts

_**Legend**_

_Italics show thoughts_

**Underline/Bold show date, time, location**

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**Digital World – The Iron Village - Day 17 - 4:00 P.M.**

**POV: Tommy Draggers**

Two days had passed since the battle of IronFist. He spent much of that time simply getting back to the Iron Village, capital of the West. Leomon made them march through the night to get back to the capital as soon as possible. No one argued; everyone wanted to get back to safety and some well deserved rest.

For Tommy though, it wasn't safety he was worried about. The last two days he ran everything that had happened to him since he arrived in this world. Everything he had seen, experienced, and done. It seemed like so much, crammed into such a short period of time.

What Draggers found himself wondering about was the question of what was he fighting for? How was he fighting? Riku was heading towards the Southern Capital with some plan in mind, Shingen was actually fighting in the war, and Sasuke was…well, Sasuke was fighting evil as he said. But when Tommy tried to think of what he was fighting for….nothing. He didn't even have a good reason to come and join Leomon in the first place!

Stopping to take a moment, Tommy looked around himself to take in the scenery. Standing in the heart of the Iron Village, the buildings around him were so tall they cast a seemingly infinite shadow over him, and they were still be worked on, being made ever taller. As with most construction in the West, all the buildings were uniform: blue, tall, and square.

One might think that this would make the city ugly, or dull. But the West was still a land of prairies, wilderness, and rocky deserts. The city just stood as a stark contrast to everything surrounding.

The city had what Tommy called 'roads', or they would if cars were used. The roads, or metal pathways, ran around the village in a square and up and across until the roads made a grid. Looking down the road to his left, Tommy watched as machine digimon with wheels chugged down the road as fast moving, and often four-legged, digimon zigzagged through them, all make their way to their destinations. Shouting was common and fights often broke out, which was funny at times. Tommy thought that it looked like something out of a cartoon and often expected someone to crash and cause a….digimon traffic jam? The thought made him chuckle.

The road was the only frantic part of the village though. On the sidewalks, yes, sidewalks, the slower or more leisurely digimon moved with just as much noise, but without the chaos of the roads. Tommy, who was stopped at an intersection, liked the noise. He could lose himself in this place and gather himself. Maybe if he lost himself, he could find something else, like an answer to a question.

_What am I fighting for?_

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**Digital World – The Iron Village - Day 17 - 7:00 P.M.**

**POV: Sasuke "Scion" Mitsunari**

"And that, is how the battle of the Fajora Falls ended, and why the falls no longer exist."

"Wow….THAT'S SO COOL!"

Sitting crossed legged on the ground; Scion stared starry eyed at Leomon who had just finished recounting a battle from the early days of the war, before the Humans appeared. He recounted how the Gods had actually gone to the forefront of their armies and fought one another in gigantic struggles for victory. The sheer power of the God Digimon was so great that once magnificent landmarks, such as the Falls of Fajora, were destroyed. Eventually, due to such destruction, the Gods withdrew and let their underlings lead their campaigns, so that the land they fought to claim would not be utterly destroyed.

Leomon, shaking his head, frowned on the young boy, "We lost one of our most beloved historic sights. We lost something very important to us that day…"

Not having anything cheery to respond with, Scion rested his head in the palm of his right hand with a sigh. It was true; this battle was just destroying the Digital World. He wished that things were simpler, he wished that he could just go out and fight evil and save the world like in a fairytale…but there wasn't any evil to be found, not entirely. To the North, Taiki and Michiko stand as pacifists. To the South, Riku and Ayumi were working together to some end. To the East, Shingen and Emi were working on uniting everyone. And here, in the West, Tommy and Kaito do their part in the conflict. With both sides having Children of Destiny, could any of them be called Evil?

It was frustrating for Sasuke. He had been all around this world, fighting enemies like SkullMeramon, BomberNanimon, and even NeoDevimon. All those digimon were twisted and evil, but, with everyone one that was beaten nothing seemed to really change. The war was still raging. The conflict was still going on…with no end in sight to the fighting.

"Leomon…when will the fighting stop?"

With his arms crossed the lion digimon turned towards the human child. His gaze fell on the boy and in Sasuke's eyes Leomon understood what was troubling the lad, for it troubled him as well. Looking towards the horizon, where the sun had begun to set, the champion shook his head.

"Hmm….I don't know, child. I don't know."

"Do you think it will end? Eventually?"

Leomon nodded, "Yes, eventually it will. All things must end in time…just how much time, is entirely another question."

Scion sighed deeply.

"Geez…I hate waiting."

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**Digital World –Near Kassel- Day 17 - 8:00 P.M.**

**POV: Shingen Takeda & Kotemon**

Shigen had to admit, dying had quite an affect on you. Especially if you returned from the dead, well if he really did die anyway. He wasn't really sure IF he could die in this digital world, or if he would just be deleted. Maybe that was worse than death? At least in the human world your body was left behind…in this world no trace that you ever existed remains. It was a dark, scary, thought.

_It was game over, end of the line. I should have died…_

He didn't want to admit it to anyone, but he was shaken. Up until now he hadn't thought he would, or could, die. He thought of himself as invincible. Always assuming that Kotemon would be strong enough to protect him had given him a false sense of security. And it wasn't as if Shingen had death in his head when he attacked NeoDevimon…he didn't think at all really. He had just acted.

With negative thoughts bouncing around in his head since he left the others at Ironfist, Shingen had been thinking over the last few weeks. All of his actions, his work, his ambitions…horribly ended. Or they would have if Shingen hadn't somehow been resurrected.

On top of that the entire mission to attack the South had turned into a total and utter waste. Nothing was accomplished and hundreds of Digimon were deleted in the failed attempt.

"Kotemon."

Without breaking stride the samurai digimon turned his head towards his partner. "Shingen?"

"I'm making a promise today that I want you to remember."

"And that promise would be…?"

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**Digital World – Kassel- Day 17 - 8:00 P.M.**

**POV: Emi Hamano & Salamon**

"I swear! I'm going to kill him!"

Cowering off to the side, Salamon watched as Emi paced back and forth just outside the gate to Kassel. When she returned to the castle she busied herself with chores and having Salamon spar with a few of the soldiers left behind to help them so better when they next had to fight.

Today they had gotten news from a Patamon that Shingen would be returning to the castle before the day was over. While that in itself was a reason to rejoice, the Patamon also had a large mouth and soon rumors of Shingen's supposed 'death' reached Emi's ears. It didn't take long for her to get the full story from the easily intimidated Mon.

"Attacked an Ultimate level digimon with his sword, what was he thinking! He's supposed to be smarter than that!"

"Emi…"

Emi drowned out her partner, and continued. "When I'm through with him, he'll wish he was still fighting that monster! Just you wait, Shingen Takeda!"

"Oi…is she always this mad?"

To Salamon's right was Patamon, the messenger. "Only when she's….concerned." Salamon coughed out of embarrassment.

"….Hate to make her worried about me then." Patamon sighed.

But Salamon knew that she wasn't really mad at all; she was terrified. It was something that Salamon, as a digimon, couldn't understand at this point in its life. The fear of losing someone didn't exist for digimon, as they often fought each other to grow in strength. There was no maliciousness in the act; it was just the way of life for digimon…the need to grow stronger was just innate.

But humans were not like that, they die and they are no more. End of their story.

"Huh?" Ears rising into the sky, Patamon looked to the distance. "I hear a lot of something. I'll go check!"

Rising into the air it was easy to see the multitude moving towards Kassel. They varied in different shapes and sizes but they were easily noticeable as Shingen's army. The group was moving slowly but Emi and Salamon would quickly notice their approach.

"SHINGEN!!"

Sooner than later it seemed. Descending to the ground the flying digimon stared forward at the oncoming army as they marched towards their safe haven. Being the messenger, Patamon knew what state the army would be in. Demoralized, fatigued, and battered would be an understatement. They had never lost before, ever. To rise so high only to be shot to the ground would leave a powerful throbbing wound in their hearts. Belonging to that wounded army, Patamon had no desire to watch their approach. Rising once more into the air he began moving towards the highest levels of Kessel.

As soon as Emi could lay eyes on him, she darted forward towards him. The soldiers parted for her as best they could, to make a sort of path to their leader. She didn't cry out to him or wave, a silent run was all she gave, but the parting digimon gave her away and by the time Emi reached her target he had his arms open to her.

Slamming into Shingen, Emi gave a strong embrace, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could. The hug lasted for barely a moment, just long enough to Shingen to begin to speak. Emi pulled back and slapped the boy hard across the face. Being to unexpected, the slap left Shingen stunned with shock.

"Jerk, who said you could go and do something so stupid?! I thought you were supposed to be a genius!"

"I…" Placing his hand on his face, Shingen winced as the sting. It took him only a second to realize what she was referring too, and another second for the shame to show itself on his face. "I…didn't think."

"Obviously, you DIDN'T think, Shingen!" With Emi's voice quickly rising into a shout, they soon had the attention of every digimon around them.

Reaction forced Shingen to step forward and reach out to Emi, grasping her shoulders in his hands. He intended to hug her, to try and soothe Emi, but she was faster to the punch. Literally. She pounded her right hand, clenched into tight fists, into his chest, then her left and her right once more a second later before shoving both hands, palms forward, into Shingen. The boy stumbled back, shocked and appalled at the welcome he had been given.

"You… You are a silly, stupid, and naive boy." Tears trickled down Emi's face, though it appeared the tears came from angry than anything else. "What were you thinking, Shingen?! Fighting a digimon? We're just kids, HUMAN kids! Did you forget that?! DID YOU?!"

There wasn't anything he could have said that would have sated Emi's rage and panic. She couldn't even fathom getting along in this world without him there. He was her light, her rock to lean on, and the star that always held the right direction. She wasn't a fighter, a leader, or even a diplomat. She'd be lost without him.

"Did you even think about what would happen to me?" _Did you think of me at all?_

And she turned and ran. It was childish and selfish of her to accuse Shingen without giving him any chance to defend himself. She didn't care. On the outside she was furious, but inwardly she couldn't have been more relieved…she just couldn't bring herself to say it. Fear of what she almost lost refused let her forgive him that easily. But, at least he was alive and for that she was glad.

And terrified of what tomorrow's dangers would bring.

-----------------------------------

**Digital World – Kassel- Day 17 - 8:00 P.M.**

**POV: Kaito Akimoto**

"Didn't want to greet your friends, Patamon?"

"No…"

"Well…, I guess I can't blame you."

From one of the highest sentry towers of Kassel, where Patamon was perched, one would see the entirety of Shingen's army, battered and far fewer in number. It was from this place that Kaito, along with Gaomon, watched.

"How is he?" Patamon asked of Gaomon.

"Well," Looking over his shoulder, Gaomon scanned Kaito's figure. The tower they were occupying was circular and Kaito was currently sitting opposite of Gaomon and Patamon, who were on the side overlooking the coming mass of digimon. "He's been thinking a lot lately."

Kaito and Gaomon had traveled with Patamon for one reason only; fatigue, mental fatigue. The Sword had turned everything that Kaito believed upside down, inside out, and mutated it to boot. Was the prophecy really going to help end the war? Was it really going to explain how and why the eight children had been brought here? Was it going to show them how to get home?

Questions like these plagued Kaito's mind until finally his body began to suffer from the anxiety and stress. Shingen sent Kaito with his messenger, Patamon, to rest at Kassel and regain his strength. While physically, Kaito felt his strength return from much needed rest, mentally he felt as ill as ever.

_The Sword was a digicore, so the Shield must be too. What do they have to do with the prophecy? Or saving the world? Or getting us home? Am I just missing some huge piece of the puzzle, the piece that will connect all the dots? Or am I on a fool's errand?_

"I'm sure Kaito will come out of his shell eventually. He's a rebel and adventurer by nature and he will bounce back, trust me. Once he finds something, anything that seems promising he'll chase it to the end, and he'll continue to chase the prophecy until he has all of its pieces…he just need a little time for a break."

Ears drooping to his side, Patamon frowned, "I sure hope so. It's so sad to see someone look fine on the outside but be so torn on the inside!"

Gaomon nodded in agreement, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "If there is anything I've learned recently, it's that these humans are resilient beings. He'll come back, they'll all bounce back. Every one of them was shaken by the events that took place…and I would bet both my gloves that every single one will come back stronger than before."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**AN:** So, YEAH, looooong freaking time right? A lot of crap happened and I had to stop writing completely for a really, really, really long time. So, I'm sorry for the wait, but I am back and hopefully all my old readers are still with me and maybe some new ones will come around, neh?

Anyway, this chapter is called "Unresolved" for a simple reason. You may have noticed that a lot of the kids have LOTS of questions with no answers, or are thinking really heavily about things. This chapter is to give you an idea of what a handful of the kids are thinking about currently. These questions, like the promise that Shingen made (the one you don't know yet), will be part of their development. So, if you feel confused as to what a character is feeling, then good, I've done my job. (Except with Emi, she was pretty straight forward, but kind of not….she confuses me! _).

You may be wondering why I didn't have all the kids in this chapter. It's simple, I needed a cool down chapter(Even after my long break) from the huge scenes I had just done, and because we'll be seeing a lot of Taiki, Riku, Ayumi, and Michiko in the future so I didn't feel that they needed the spotlight in this chapter. Be on the look out for them in the upcoming chapters!!


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